SEREMBAN: "Hari ini ada PAS calon," quipped PKR secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail when he introduced Pakatan Harapan's (PH) candidate Dr S Streram for the Rantau state seat by-election outside the nomination centre at SJK (C) Bandar Sri Sendayan, here, today.
This translates to "today, he has a candidate pass", in reference to Streram being denied entry into the nomination hall during last year's General Election which led to Umno's Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan being declared the winner, unopposed.
Streram filed a petition and later on the Election Court nullified Mohamad's win, paving the way for fresh polls in Rantau.
Speaking on a truck which doubled as a makeshift stage complete with speakers, Saifuddin lambasted the Election Commission (EC) for denying Streram entry to the nomination centre in GE14.
"(Candidate) pass is not a routine, but that day, EC officer went overboard (denying Streram entry)," Saifuddin said, stating that the EC normally has three requirements for a candidate to contest, which was the candidate itself, proposer and seconder as well as filling up the nomination form.
"If Dr Streram had contested, Tok Mat (Mohamad) would have been gone," he said to cheers from the crowd.
He added that PH and its election machinery would go down to the ground in Rantau to garner support from over 20,926 voters , including villages and Felda settlements.
"We will go to the ground with one aim, to garner voters' support," he said.
A reporter asked Saifuddin if he was breaching the Election Offences Act and he denied this, saying he was merely giving a briefing to PH supporters.
"This is not a ceramah, this is just to brief on the etiquette of gatherings," he said.
EC chairman Azhar Azizan Harun yesterday said among the things not allowed on nomination day are the use of musical equipment or loudspeakers for the purpose of political propaganda, including by using vehicles.
According to the Election Offences Act 1954, limitation of political propaganda on nomination day states that no person shall furnish or supply any musical instrument or loudspeaker to any person with intent that it shall be used by any person in any way or used in or upon any vessel, animal, motor car, truck or other vehicle.
It also states that no person shall, on nomination day or days, wait or loiter within a distance of 50 metres from the limit of any place of nomination.
Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of this
section shall be liable, on conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to a fine not exceeding three thousand ringgit or to both such imprisonment and fine.
Reporting by NUR AQIDAH AZIZI, ADRIAN LAI with photos by HASRIYASHAH SABUDIN, SAIFULLIZAN TAMADI, IQMAL HAQIM ROSMAN, ADZLAN SIDEK