Authorities chop DAP's 'pricey veggies' billboard

 

SARAWAK POLLS | In Kuching, it is not the prices of vegetables going down but the billboards demanding such.

According to DAP's Batu Kawah candidate Kelvin Yii, this was one of two DAP billboards in the greater Kuching area that were removed by the authorities today.

The other billboard reminded voters that their vote mattered, illustrating how a vote for change in 2018 resulted in Najib Abdul Razak being charged, the GST being abolished and government funding for Chinese schools.

In a statement today, he said the billboard on why voting mattered was meant to be empowering, but the authorities told him that it violated Section 4A of the Election Offences Act 1954.

This law prevented campaigning materials which can cause "ill-will" or "hostility".

The other billboard depicted a bunch of pak choi (brassica rapa) with the words "expensive" and the caption "GPS is a failed government, people are suffering".

"While the powers that be might have succeeded in 'erasing' our message from the billboard, such heavy-handed tactics will never wipe them out from the rakyat's minds.

"Through the power of the ballot box, eventually, we have seen one of the world's biggest kleptocrat get convicted in a court of law. Such a feat would not have been possible without throngs of Sarawakians going out to vote," Yii said.

Previously, the authorities in Kuching had also removed billboards belonging to Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak (Aspirasi) candidates. 

One billboard depicted a grazing cow and another depicted a pair of scissors separating Sarawak from Peninsular Malaysia.

The Election Commission (EC) has drawn up strict rules for Sarawak legislative election campaign, banning gatherings and even crossing of election boundaries for candidates.

Some opposition candidates are also complaining that police permit requirement, strict time limits for gatherings in rural areas and limited speaking venues are making campaigning very difficult.  - Mkini