SHAH ALAM, Dec 29 — The federal government has no plans to hold any New Year’s Eve celebration, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said.

He said the decision taken is a sign of solidarity with the Palestinian people who are currently suffering from Israeli aggression and brutality, and also to respect the victims affected by the ongoing floods in several states.

"However, at the state government and local authority levels, there may be celebration programmes suited to their local environments,” he told the media after officiating the annual general assembly of the Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (Pekida) here tonight.

Earlier, it was reported that the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) will hold spiritual programmes on the eve of the New Year this Sunday (December 31) at the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, as well as the Putra Mosque and Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque as an alternative for Muslims.

Meanwhile, on the status of 130 communication transmission stations affected by floods in Sabah, Kelantan, Pahang, Selangor and Terengganu, he said to date, 53 stations have resumed operations while the rest are still under repair.

"I hope in a day or two, this number will decrease, and for the affected areas, we will assess whether they are recurring areas in terms of damage to telecommunications towers or new areas,” he said.

Fahmi said he would instruct the affected areas to undergo site hardening by raising communication equipment to higher levels to prevent recurring incidents. — Bernama