No curbs on wearing party shirts in public, says Melaka police chief

 

Melaka police chief Abdul Majid Mohd Ali said DAP members not happy with the police action could lodge police reports. (Bernama pic)

AYER KEROH: Melaka police chief Abdul Majid Mohd Ali has denied that they had warned DAP workers against wearing shirts with party emblems in public areas, a claim made by Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong recently.

Two days ago, the DAP Melaka vice-chief had alleged that police had warned party workers against wearing such clothing in public, while groups putting up flags for campaigning were limited to three people.

Khoo said these rules were not listed in the Election Commission’s SOPs and the police  seemed to be making their own interpretations, adding that it took more than three people to put up flags and billboards.

Today, Majid said he had checked Khoo’s claim with all three district police chiefs in Melaka, who denied giving such a warning.

“If he is dissatisfied with the relevant compound fines and possesses clear evidence of the mistakes made by the police, he can lodge a report so that an investigation can be carried out.

“He can also lodge a report with Bukit Aman’s integrity and standards department (JIPS) or with the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC),” he said in a statement today.

Khoo had not mentioned that the party workers were issued compound fines, but merely given a warning by the police.

Earlier this week, Majid had explained that a RM 4,000 compound fine issued by the police to a Pakatan Harapan candidate was for violating the Melaka election SOPs and not because the individual was wearing the party’s logo.

He said the compound fine was issued by the police after the person was found participating in a walkabout on Nov 10.

“In this case, there was a violation of the SOPs due to the lack of physical distancing and also the fact that walkabouts are not allowed by the National Security Council, health ministry and Election Commission throughout the campaign period.

“The compound fine was for the organisers or the supporters who violated the SOPs when following the candidate while wearing the PH logo,” he said on Facebook. - FMT