The Malaysian Insight

PAKATAN Harapan (PH) is crying foul after police and Health Ministry (MOH) officials disrupted a presidential council meeting yesterday over purported violation of the standard operating procedure (SOP).

PKR communication director Fahmi Fadzil said the officers entered the room without any warning and took photographs of the meeting.

He added the PH leaders were shocked when police and officers opened the door of the meeting room at the La Crista Hotel to check on the meeting and if it had followed SOP. 

“A few officers whom I was made to understand were from MOH and police had barged in and took photos of us having a meeting,” the Lembah Pantai MP said in a press conference in Parliament today. 

Fahmi said PH leaders, Saifuddin Nasution, Lim Guan Eng and Salahuddin Ayub, who are the coalition’s representatives to the Special Committee for the Management of the Covid-19 Pandemic, enlightened the officers that holding a meeting is in no way a breach of SOP. 

“I am not sure if this would happen at a Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional meeting. Do the MOH and police dare to barge into (their meeting) to snap photos?” he asked. 

“To me this is a form of intimidation, which should not have taken place,” he added. 

He questioned why some parties are targeted and are subjected to stricter SOP compared to other parties.

The Malacca polls are on November 20, but the strict Covid-19 SOP set and enforced by the authorities has put all the parties on the backfoot. 

The Election Commission had previously said the only form of physical campaigning allowed is speeches via speakers from moving vehicles at fixed times and with a police permit. 

All physical gatherings are banned. This means that there can be no ceramah, door-to-door campaigns nor walkabouts. 

Candidates and their parties are allowed to open only one operations centre per seat. 

Those who violate the rules will be subject to the Elections Offences Act 1954. 

Recounting another incident, he said party members were not allowed to wear party T-shirts when making door-to-door walkabouts to distribute leaflets.

“When they broke for lunch at the restaurant and were not on walkabouts or doing party work, they were told to remove their badges. Is this fair?

“What is the rationale of barring people from wearing party logos? Can we campaign or not? Can we wear (party outfits) or not? Is this an election or something else?” he asked.

Fahmi said the SOP was ridiculous and problematic as it was drafted by those who are not on the ground.

“They made the decision from the meeting table.”

He then urged the National Security Council to go down to the ground to see what is going on.

“What is the virus are we fighting? Democracy or Covid-19? This is the big question that has to be answered,” he said.

“Democracy is not the virus, but Covid-19. So do not enforce SOP in a way where it oppresses and presses the election machineries of contesting parties,” he said.

Fahmi said the SOP must be reviewed and corrected, and called for an end to all forms of intimidation. – November 11, 2021.