Streram denies claims of child exploitation in Rantau campaign

RANTAU POLLS | Pakatan Harapan's candidate for the Rantau by-election Dr S Streram has denied the allegations from BN leaders that Harapan used children in their by-election campaign.

Describing BN's allegations as "lacking capital" (kehilangan modal), Streram explained that the programme he attended, which involved a contest, was organised by a local NGO. 

He added that the NGO had used Harapan's mobile stage because there were no such facilities for the award-giving ceremony.

"Actually, I am still looking at the pictures made viral by the opposition, but that is just a perception.

"It has nothing to do with the Harapan campaign," Streram said to reporters in Pekan Rantau today.

The issue of child exploitation does not arise at all, he added.

"We (Harapan) did not exploit children. I was invited to the ceremony.

"I wanted to go to show my moral support to the children. Where did we exploit children? We already respect and defend children," he said.

It was reported earlier today that a number of BN leaders chastised Harapan for supposedly using children as part of their Rantau campaign.

Activist Badrul Hisham Shaharin, also known as Chegubard, had highlighted the appearance of children at an event featuring Streram.

The event is said to have happened on Wednesday.

Photos shared by Badrul, who was dismissed from PKR in 2016, showed a group of children on a mobile stage used for Streram's campaign. The children were seen holding up boxes of colour pencils.

Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin also said he was disappointed to see this happen.

BN candidate Mohamad Hasan called it child exploitation and urged the Election Commission to look into the matter, whereas former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak also commented on Facebook that this was unethical and against the law. - Mkini