Election Commission staff prepare for Nomination Day for the Tanjung Piai by-election at Intan Pontian Jubilee Hall in Pontian November 1, 2019. — Bernama pic

PONTIAN, Nov 7 — The Election Commission (EC) has so far recorded 37 election offences committed during the Tanjung Piai parliamentary by-election since the campaign period started on Nov 2.

The Commission, in a statement here today, said the offences were recorded based on visits and monitoring by the Election Campaign Enforcement Team (PP-KPR).

Thirty-three of the offences were for putting up static campaign materials at public premises such as bus stops, schools, directional signage, electricity poles, and community halls — committed by Barisan Nasional (BN), Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Gerakan.

Other offences were related to provocative campaign materials, lack of printer’s information and installation of billboards in restricted areas.

The statement said EC had also recorded nine police reports with six of them related to a leader who allegedly delivered a racist and intimidating speech at a Chinese school in Kukup.

Three other reports were on a billboard of Gerakan being felled in Kukup; PH party flag being removed and destroyed in Kebun Baru Kukup Laut, and claims on BN candidate granting tender for Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) through direct negotiation.

The EC said it had monitored 42 campaign speech or programmes until yesterday and found no reports of corruption or abuse of power.

The polling for the by-election is set on Nov 16 following the death of Datuk Dr Md Farid Md Rafik, 42, from Pakatan Harapan (PH) on Sept 21 of heart complications.

It is seeing a six-cornered fight involving PH candidate Karmaine Sardini, Wee Jeck Seng (BN); Wendy Subramaniam (Gerakan), Datuk Dr Ir Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz of Barisan Jemaah Islamiah (Berjasa) and two independent candidates Dr Ang Chuan Lock and Faridah Aryani Abdul Ghaffar. — Bernama