GE during floods? Wee says to prepare for any eventuality

 

Amid talk of possible elections in the upcoming monsoon season, MCA president Wee Ka Siong said politicians must prepare to face any eventuality that may play out.

Wee (above) also said we won’t know whether there are any disasters that would take place on polling day, at the time when Parliament is dissolved and the Election Commission picks the date for the election.

“I don’t want the assumption that we are wilfully picking a date such that there will be floods while we face the general election. This is not the case; I have to make it very clear.

“I think whether rain or shine, once the whistle is blown all parties will feel compelled to come forward.

“We won’t know what happens after that. If there is a disaster or catastrophe, we’ll just have to face it,” he told reporters in Bangsar today, based on a video by The Star.

He said this when asked about MCA’s stance if an election is called during floods.

This comes as some BN leaders talk up the possibility of facing the 15th general election during the upcoming monsoon season despite the risk of floods, while others inside and outside BN criticised that it’ll put lives at risk.

For the record, Communications and Multimedia Minister Annuar Musa said Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s statement that BN is prepared to brave the floods to campaign for the election had been misinterpreted.

According to him, Zahid was talking about the BN election machinery’s preparedness to face an election no matter when it is called.

Meanwhile, Wee told reporters that the cabinet has discussed at length the preparations for floods.

The transport minister said major floods are expected towards the end of the year, so early preparations are being made with over 6,000 temporary evacuations being gazetted.

The cabinet had also discussed at length preparations for the coming election, but Wee warned against linking the two topics together.

“(Flood) preparations need to be made, as well as election preparations.

“In any case, I think the election date will only be known once the prime minister makes the decision, and we will leave that to the prime minister. Whatever it is, election preparations will go on.

“We won’t know when, but we will do it concurrently – facing the elections, facing the floods; whether this year or the next. We are just waiting for the signal.” - Mkini