MELAKA – Nomination day for an election used to be an occasion for much fanfare, but the atmosphere and mood surrounding the nominations for the Melaka polls this morning were anything but.
The usual large gathering of supporters at nomination centres clad in party colours, the hoisting of flags and banners, and the taunting among competing parties are almost non-existent, making it quite a lacklustre affair.
Barring some small pockets of people in certain centres, one would be forgiven to assume the day to be just another ordinary one.
The Vibes and its Bahasa Malaysia sister portal Getaran observed similar situations at several centres across the state, including some hotly contested constituencies.
These include Tg Bidara, where Umno’s Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh is taking on his former protégé Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, and in Lendu, which is being defended by incumbent chief minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali.
In Pengkalan Batu, incumbent Datuk Norhizam Hassan Baktee told the press he is not bringing any supporters with him out of respect for government’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) that bar congregations outside the nomination centres.
In Asahan, the seat being contested by former chief minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron, the situation is the same, with only small groups of supporters loitering about 100m from the nomination centre.
Other locations with a similarly muted atmosphere include Bukit Katil, Sg Rambai and Paya Rumput.
Under the government SOPs, only candidates, with one proposer and one supporter each, are allowed into the centres for nomination.
Nominations, which started at 9am and ended at 10am, gave candidates just one hour to formally register themselves for the polls.
In all venues, police set up cordons around the areas and stationed quite a number of personnel to monitor the situation and keep the peace in case of unnecessary commotions.
However, it is understood that officers on the ground were instructed not to issue compounds to SOP flouters, purportedly to avoid tension.
Melaka will head to the polls on November 20.
The state election was triggered after four assemblymen, led by Idris, withdrew their support for Sulaiman, citing a loss of confidence for the Melaka government. – The Vibes, November 8, 2021
Additional reporting by Isabelle Leong
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