DAP man cries vote-buying as PN rival dishes free food, motor oil and cash

JOHOR POLLS | M Kanan, Pakatan Harapan's candidate for the Bekok state seat in the upcoming Johor polls, has decried what he claimed is vote-buying by his Perikatan Nasional (PN) rival.

This is as entrepreneur Tan Lek Khang, who is tipped to be PN's Bekok candidate, going to the ground to hand out cash and aid boxes as well as organising events to provide free food and motor oil in the constituency.

"PN's prospective candidate Tan is enthusiastically dishing out petrol, engine oil and food to the public on a large scale.

"The offence is unabashedly being advertised on billboards and banners across Bekok," Kanan, who is from DAP, aid in a statement.

Kanan urged the Election Commission (EC) to take action to maintain the public's confidence in the country's democratic system.

Meanwhile, Tan, when contacted, pointed out that he has yet to be nominated as the Bekok candidate by PN.

PN and BN are expected to announce their candidates tomorrow.

"Let him (Kanan) make his allegations, I don't think I have done anything wrong.

"I have been here for almost three years. why didn't they raise this issue (when I handed out aid) during the Covid-19 lockdown?

"Before the nomination of candidates, I organised activities to help the people. After nomination, then I won't do such programmes as I will only be allowed to campaign. So what wrong have I done?" he said.

Tan said he had been organising such welfare events for the last three years.

"You can check my social media for the last three years until now, my programmes have never stopped.

"Let him be. I don't want to respond. All I know is I am doing my job and I'm sincere in helping the people. Even if I am not the candidate, I will still help the people," he said.

Nomination day will take place this Saturday (Feb 26). Johoreans will go to the poll on March 12.

DAP won the Bekok seat with a 2,457-vote majority in the last general election.

The semi-rural seat comprising 51 percent Chinese, 29 percent Malays, 18 percent Indians and three percent others, is within the parliamentary constituency of Labis.

Harapan, BN and PN are confirmed to face off in the seat while Warisan is also eyeing a possible entry. - Mkini