BN leaders mock 'cash handout' images

CAMERON POLLS | Opposition politicians have taken to Twitter to post comments on a batch of images showing money being allegedly handed out to people in Pakatan Harapan Cameron Highlands T-shirts.

Tweeting an image depicting a woman in a Harapan shirt counting money in front of several men dressed similarly, Umno Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar Radin predicted that Pakatan Harapan would ramp up such practices as the Jan 26 polling day approaches.

“This isn’t money politics, the woman was just giving duit minum(money for drinks).

“Wait until it's polling day, that is when they will give more money.

“Now they are just testing the mood of the young people, to see if they can be bought before they go into fourth gear,” he tweeted.

Incumbent Cameron Highlands MP and MIC vice-president C Sivarraajh also commented on the photographs.

“This doesn’t matter because they are the federal government.

“If we even hold a kenduri (banquet) for our machinery, it will be a big offence and we won’t be able to vote for five years,” he tweeted.

Sivarraajh’s win during the 14th general election last May was disqualified when the Election Court established that vote-buying was involved.

The Election Commission has since barred him from both voting and contesting in elections for five years.

Joining in was BN lawmaker Khairy Jamaluddin, who joked that the men in the images simply wanted small change to “buy strawberries in Cameron Highlands.”

'Only reimbursement'

In a statement issued later, Pakatan Harapan explained that the images only depict party volunteers in Cameron Highlands being reimbursed. 

“I want to stress that was reimbursement money for the petrol costs for Harapan volunteers who came to Tanah Rata on their own motorbikes from their house in the interiors on nomination day.

“These reimbursements will be declared as part of our campaign spending,” said Arvind Bharet, the assistant to the Jelai Harapan operations chief.

The statement was later confirmed as official by Harapan's Cameron Highlands by-election campaign manager Wong Kah Woh. - Mkini