KUALA LUMPUR – Campaigning while wearing anything with party emblems may attract crowds, said the police responding to Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil’s tweet of a compound issued against a Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate today.
In the post on Twitter, the compound was said to be issued yesterday at 11am in Warung Kak Pah, Kg Melaka Pindah.
The fine valued at RM4,000 mentioned that the offence committed is as follows: “Candidate uses jacket with Pakatan Harapan logo while campaigning for the Melaka election.”
Further, the compound was issued under Section 10 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988.
Speaking to The Vibes, an inspector from the Melaka Tengah police headquarters explained it is not wrong for candidates or supporters to wear attire featuring logos of their respective parties or coalitions.
“Surely they were meeting voters physically. If, let’s say, you meet physically while wearing a party shirt, surely a lot of people will crowd around you.
“But if you wear such attire while passing by and greeting people briefly, it’s okay,” the spokesman from the police said when contacted.
The Health Ministry and the Election Commission stated that physical campaigns, walkabouts, and house-to-house visits are prohibited during the campaigning period.
Candidates are allowed to use mass media or social media to campaign, as well as distribute flyers and use loudspeaker-equipped vans.
The election standard operating procedures, however, are not sitting too kindly with the major coalitions contesting the state elections: Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional. – The Vibes, November 12, 2021
