EC: Cops want notice for house visits and campaign vehicles

TG PIAI POLLS | All parties and candidates contesting in the Tanjung Piai parliamentary by-election are reminded that house-to-house campaigning must have police permit as they too are considered a form of campaigning.

Election Commission (EC) chairperson Azhar Azizan Harun (above) said in addition, the walkabout programme, which is also considered as mobile campaigning, must have a clear time frame and location for monitoring purposes.

He said all parties or candidates involved were reminded to comply with all regulations stipulated for campaigning, particularly involving permit application.

“Yesterday, a meeting was held between EC officials and Pontian OCPD and his officers to coordinate and clarify issues concerning campaigning permits and regulations especially with regard to the walkabout programmes held by all candidates or parties contesting in the election."

Azhar said in a statement today campaign materials which were seditious and provocative in nature and did not have the name and address of the printers would be brought down.

He added that flags placed by the roadsides and hampered or posed dangers to the public would be removed.

In the statement, Azhar said the EC and police outlined regulations on the use of party flags as well as campaigning using vehicles.

Azhar said appropriate action would also be taken regarding flags hung on vehicles while campaigning that caused danger to members of the public.

“Campaigning vehicles that were installed with flags and loudhailers and moving from one place to another place must apply for campaigning permit from the police.

According to Azhar, the EC would report information concerning statistics on offences as well as statistics on the number of police reports and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) reports made throughout the campaigning period on Facebook, Twitter and the EC website every day throughout the by-election period.

“The EC hopes that all candidates and parties would carry out their campaign in a more mature manner throughout the remaining five days of campaigning so that the Tanjung Piai by-election would proceed without any undesired incidents,” he added.

The EC has fixed Saturday as polling day for the Tanjung Piai by-election which will see a six-cornered fight involving the Pakatan Harapan candidate Karmaine Sardini, BN candidate Wee Jeck Seng, Wendy Subramaniam (Gerakan), and Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz from Barisan Jemaah Islamiah (Berjasa) as well as two Independent candidates namely Dr Ang Chuan Lock and Faridah Aryani Abd Ghaffar.

The by-election is held following the death of the incumbent member of Parliament Dr Md Farid Md Rafik, 42, on Sept 21 due to heart complication.

In the 14th general election (GE14), the late Farid, who represented Harapan, won with a majority of 524 votes to beat Wee (BN-MCA) and Nordin Othman (PAS).

-- Bernama