KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — PKR’s communication director Fahmi Fadzil today questioned the authorities after a man was fined RM4,000 for wearing a jacket bearing the Pakatan Harapan (PH) symbol.
He attached a picture of the summons on his Twitter post stating that the man was fined for allegedly campaigning at a stall in Alor Gajah, Melaka.
“Crazy, even wearing the Pakatan Harapan symbol will be compounded. Because the symbol spreads the virus. Just not the covid virus, but democracy virus.
“That's the virus they're most afraid of,” he said.
Last month, PKR was fined RM10,000 by the authorities after the coalition attempted to hold a crowdless mobile ceramah in Paya Rumput, Melaka, prompting protest from other party leaders.
News portal Malaysiakini reported that the PH lynchpin had planned speeches delivered from a makeshift stage on a lorry parked in the middle of residential areas, through loudspeakers, to avoid a gathering as part of efforts to comply with Covid-19 protocols.
Last week, the Election Commission released its list of dos-and-don’ts for political campaigning in the Melaka state poll.
The rules have been tightened further, compared to past elections, to prevent a recurrence of the surge in Covid-19 cases that followed the Sabah poll last September.
Among the prohibited activities now are walkabouts and ceramah — which have been popular ways for candidates, especially those in the Opposition, to engage with voters on the campaign trail.
Prior to the EC’s rules, the Health Ministry had announced a ban on all political gatherings and social events linked to the election from October 25 till November 27.
Melaka has 28 state constituencies and 495,196 registered voters. Of these, 240,530 or 48.57 per cent of the voters are men, and the remaining 254,666 voters or 51.43 per cent are women.
Polling day for Melaka is set for November 20.
