UM student union wants cooling-off period following floods

The Universiti Malaya Students Union (UMSU) has called for a one-week cooling-off period following the country's worst flooding in decades which started last Friday.

The student movement expressed disappointment that no effort was made by the university and the Higher Education Ministry for students in such challenging circumstances.

"The flash floods that hit Malaysia, especially in Selangor and Klang Valley, have caused many problems to the people in UM.

"We urge the university administration to implement a week-long cooling-off period immediately. 

"This cooling-off period is important for those affected as they faced problems, including disruption of electricity supply, needing time to clean their houses, learning materials and damaged electronic devices. They cannot carry out any teaching and learning activities after the catastrophe," said UMSU in a statement today.

UMSU urged the university administration to follow in the footsteps of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) which decided to give its students time off due to the situation. 

"We demand the university management to immediately declare Dec 20-26 as the cooling-off period.

"During this period, any teaching and learning activities should be stopped or done on a minimum scale," it added. 

Replacement solutions

UMSU also proposed three alternative solutions to replace the time used for the cooling-off period including the cancellation of revision week, just like what was decided by the UUM; and shortening the holiday break for one week for both Semester 1 and Semester 2.

"Our faculty representatives have conducted a survey and received feedback from the students and this matter has received full support from most of the students.

"This will also benefit some of our academic staff who are also affected," UMSU said. 

Alternatively, the university could issue a directive requiring lecturers to conduct lectures asynchronously for the following week, it added.

More than 30,000 people were displaced and evacuated by the floods that hit Klang Valley and six other states since Friday (Dec 17).

Flooding also occurred in Pahang, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu, Kelantan and Perak.

Yesterday, the Environment and Water Ministry said the amount of rain in the Klang Valley since late Friday equalled the average rainfall for a month.

Its secretary-general Zaini Ujang said this was beyond expectations and only occurs once every 100 years.

He explained that it was due to monsoon flow factors and a low-pressure weather system that achieved the level of a tropical depression that formed in the South China Sea.

A man was reportedly electrocuted to death while wading through floodwaters along a row of shop lots in Taman Deluxe, Dengkil yesterday.

On the same day, a septuagenarian passed away while trapped at her flooded home in Section 19, Shah Alam.

Ten people have been reported missing believed to have been swept away by floods in Pahang, with eight of them resulting from two water surge incidents in Bentong. - Mkini