KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (Port Dickson-PH) has criticised the strict election SOPs following Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) battering in the Malacca polls.
Calling the campaigning rules a hindrance to democracy, Anwar said those involved in the election had no opportunity to meet the voters and provide necessary explanations expected during election campaigns.
“We weren’t allowed to provide explanations (for our policies and manifestos); only through pamphlets, and we weren’t allowed to meet with residents, which is a problem.
“So, we ask consideration to revoke those rules, so that informed choice is compatible with the democratic spirit.
“For Sarawak, this must be swift,” Anwar said in the Dewan Rakyat today.
This was echoed by Teresa Kok (Seputeh-PH) who condemned “irrational” SOPs, in particular the prohibition of door-to-door campaigning by candidates.
“I hope that the EC will have discussions with party representatives to review SOPs enforced in Melaka as many rules did not make sense.”
She questioned apparent double standards at play, referencing billboards featuring Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin instead of a party candidate.
“I don’t understand how the Pagoh MP’s face can be plastered on party billboards all over Melaka when we were told that only photos of candidates were allowed,” she said, adding that such billboards were put up two to three days before voting day.
She also called on the EC to print coloured voting ballots as some voters may not be familiar with party logos and instead identify parties by their official colour.
“Because of their confusion, they might have made a mistake in their ballot, thus contributing to PN’s loss in the elections,” she claimed.
The November 20 Melaka polls saw Barisan Nasional win a two-thirds majority, sweeping up 21 out of the 28 seats in the state assembly.
Meanwhile, PH and Perikatan Nasional were left to lick their wounds as they only managed to snatch five and two seats respectively.
Following BN’s win, Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali was sworn in as Melaka’s chief minister in the wee hours of the morning yesterday. – The Vibes, November 22, 2021
