JASIN, Nov 15 — An independent candidate in Serkam decided to adopt an unusual way of campaigning in the Melaka state election by mounting a horse for his rounds in Kampung Paya Tanjung today.

Carrying a poster bearing his candidate number and pen symbol, former lecturer Datuk Norazlanshah Hazali went on a two-kilometre journey astride the horse, Bonita, to introduce himself to voters.

"Due to restrictions imposed under the new normal, campaigning on a horse is a good way to convey my message and convince residents to vote for me.

"Because of the pandemic, it is difficult to get close to residents. So, we have to come up with the best means to abide by the standard operating procedure set by the National Security Council and Election Commission,” he told reporters here.

The 41-year-old Norazlanshah, who has a PhD in Food Science from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), pledged to resolve issues facing fishermen in Serkam and to bring affordable housing development to the area if elected.

Serkam, which has 15,977 registered voters, is seeing a four-cornered fight involving Norazlanshah, Ahmad Bilal Rahudin of Perikatan Nasional, Muhammad Khomeini Kamal of Pakatan Harapan and Datuk Zaidi Attan of Barisan Nasional.

In the 14th general election, Zaidi won the seat with a majority of 2,737 votes.

Early voting is tomorrow while polling is on November 20 for the state polls, which were called following the dissolution of the Melaka State Legislative Assembly on November 4 after four assemblymen withdrew support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali. — Bernama