KUALA LUMPUR – There may be a change in election standard operating procedures (SOPs), especially relating to mask wearing during ceramah speeches.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin was quoted as saying that his ministry has no objection if the ceramah presenter removes his or her mask, providing there is no one too close and the audience remain masked.
“The Health Ministry has informed the Election Commission (EC) of its views today. We have no objection if the EC wants to change the SOPs for speakers if there is no one closer.
“With keeping an appropriate distance, he can remove his mask when making a speech,” Sinar Harian reported Khairy as saying.
“But the audience must have on their masks. God willing, today there will be some amendments to the SOPs,” he said during his meet and greet with voters in Kg Lukut, Kota Tinggi in Johor.
It was reported that opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was cautioned by a ministry official to put on his mask when giving a speech during a ceramah in Larkin, Johor.
Last month, Anwar took the EC to task for its SOPs for the Johor election, which he said flies in the face of democratic principles.
The EC announced that ceramah and campaigns will only be allowed at party offices and official operations rooms with participation limited to 100 people.
Even then organisers will need to obtain police permits for ceramah, talks and campaigns, where these activities can only be allowed for two hours and not after 10pm.
Polling is set for March 12 with multi-cornered fights expected in all of the 56 seats. – The Vibes, March 6, 2022
