Candidate fumes after 'grazing cow' billboard deemed offensive

 

SARAWAK POLLS | Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak (Aspirasi) candidate for Pending Chan Chee Hiong has objected to the authorities' decision to remove his billboard, which he believed was innocuous.

The billboard, written entirely in Chinese, read: "95 percent of oil and gas is gifted to Malaya while we are eating grass. Vote to leave Malaya, and we get 100 percent back".

The billboard also contained a caricature of a cow with its hind legs in Peninsular Malaysia while grazing on Sarawak.

"I explained to the officer, if a cow doesn't eat grass, what then should it eat?" said Chan when contacted.

Based on a recording of Chan's conversation with the authorities yesterday, an enforcement officer had cited Section 4A of the Election Offences Act 1954.

This law does not allow election candidates to promote "feelings of ill-will or hostility". This offence results in a jail term of up to five years, a fine of up to RM10,000, or both.

Aspirasi candidate for Pending Chan Chee Hiong in front of his campaign billboard

The enforcement personnel also cited Section 11(1) of the same law to point out that the billboard did not fulfil stipulations that the printer of the material must be stated.

Apart from Chan, Aspirasi president Lina Soo, who is the candidate for Padungan, was also forced to remove her billboard.

Her billboard read: "Sarawak wake up. Enough is enough. End 58 years of suffering."

This was accompanied by a picture of a pair of scissors cutting along a line separating Peninsular Malaysia from Sarawak.

Aspirasi aspires to hold a referendum on Sarawak's independence should it be able to form the government. However, this party is only fielding 15 candidates.

The support of 42 candidates is required to form the government of Sarawak. - Mkini