BN candidate for Sg Kandis accuses EC of favouritism

SG KANDIS POLLS | Lokman Noor Adam, the BN candidate for the Sungai Kandis by-election, has accused the Election Commission of favouritism after it reportedly ordered the removal of banners for "creating discomfort."

"They (the EC) say that banners like that cannot be used because they cause discomfort to other parties, and instructed them to be taken down. What is causing discomfort?

"If we see, in the last general election, what banners did Pakatan Harapan put up? ‘If you want the GST abolished, vote for Harapan’.

"So why did they get away with it the last time, but we are taken to task although the wording is similar?” he told reporters after meeting voters in Taman Setia, Klang today.

Lokman was referring to reports that the EC had ordered certain BN banners to be removed.

These include banners containing slogans such as “Six percent GST has been abolished, now comes the 16 percent new tax,” in reference to the sales and services tax.

Other banners allegedly instructed to be taken down read “Lokman Adam will ask Harapan every day why prices of items keep going up,” and “Vote BN if you want Harapan to keep its promises.”

Despite the reported instruction from the commission, Lokman insisted that he will not take the banners down as they are not slanderous.

"If this matter is not settled, I will fight and I don't care. This is unfair, so we will fight," he said.

Lokman also "reminded" Harapan that when BN was in power, it did not instruct Harapan to take down its banners in the run-up to the 14th general election, as the opposition also has rights.

"They have their rights. If they promised to abolish GST, they are welcomed (to do so). We did not oppose it," he said.

'No such order'

In a statement later, the EC vehemently denied issuing any such order for banners to be removed. 

The commission also stressed that no removals of Lokman's banners were conducted by its Election Campaign Enforcement Team (PPKPR).

"In fact, the candidate's representatives also sit on the PPKPR established by the EC," the statement read. - Mkini