CAMERON POLLS DAY 7 | It is now Day 7 of the Cameron Highlands by-election campaign period.
Several Bersatu leaders are expected here today, with Rural Development Minister Rina Harun and Education Minister Maszlee Malik joining the campaign trail.
Meanwhile, former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak is continuing his campaigning in Cameron Highlands today, where he will be heading down to Jelai after spending his morning in Tanah Rata.
Malaysiakini brings you live reports of the campaigning on the ground:
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Pahang MB claims no knowledge of Harapan's hall-rental issue
- Chants of 'Pakatan Kencing' ring out at Najib event
- Najib gets 'Bossku' welcome in Felda village
- Harapan's hall booking cancelled, DAP alleges 'pressure by BN state gov't'
- Najib says Orang Asli village redevelopment can't happen overnight
- Annuar Musa questions EC's 'validity'
- Minister, Harapan candidate bump into PAS No 2
11.30pm: This concludes our live coverage today of the Cameron Highlands by-election campaign. Follow our live blog again for the eighth day of campaigning tomorrow.
Pahang MB claims no knowledge of Harapan's hall-rental issue
5.30pm: Dewan Jubli Perak, Sg Koyan 3 - Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail maintains he is in the dark about claims that the state government had a hand in preventing Pakatan Harapan from renting a community hall in Cameron Highlands.
“I don’t know (anything), I have been busy campaigning, going here and there.
“[...] We did not issue any orders but you need to follow procedures lah (when using the hall),” he told the media after a campaign event for BN candidate Ramli Mohd Nor.
“You will have to ask the Village Development and Security Committees (JKKK) about this,” he added.
Earlier today, DAP Tanah Rata assemblyperson Chiong Yoke Khong claimed that the state government had pressured the Tringkap JKKK to cancel his booking for the village’s multipurpose hall.
Harapan was supposed to hold a fundraising dinner there tomorrow night.
Chants of ‘Pakatan Kencing’ ring out at Najib event
5pm: Dewan Jubli Perak, Felda Sungai Koyan 3 - As Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail takes the stage, he leads the 300-strong audience in chants of “Pakatan Kencing”, taking a dig at the Pakatan Harapan federal government.
The direct translation of the Malay word 'kencing' is urine, but it is a slang term used to indicate when someone misleads or cheats.
The word crops up again when a number of audience members respond to former premier Najib Abdul Razak during his speech.
“This by-election will measure just how many voters have been misled," Najib says.
“And those who have been (misled)?” he asks the crowd, who responds, “Kena kencing!”
This village is one of the three Felda settlements in the state constituency of Jelai.
Najib gets ‘Bossku’ welcome in Felda village
3.45pm: Dewan Jubli Perak, Felda Sungai Koyan 3 - Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak arrives at this Felda village hall in style - on a motorcycle.
Behind him is an entourage of motorcyclists dressed in BN shirts and holding the party's blue flags.
As he alights, Najib is greeted by shouts of “Bossku”, which is fast becoming a term he is associated with.
Also present are Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, former Felda chairperson Shahrir Samad, Maran MP Ismail Abdul Muttalib, Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman and Umno supreme council member Lokman Noor Adam.
Onstage, BN’s Cameron Highlands candidate Ramli Mohd Nor (far right in photo) is seated next to Najib.
Harapan's hall booking cancelled, DAP alleges 'pressure by BN state gov't'
12.30pm: Tringkap - Pakatan Harapan’s venue booking for a fundraising dinner tomorrow has been cancelled, forcing the coalition to opt for another venue at the eleventh hour.
Tanah Rata assemblyperson Chiong Yoke Kong claims that the Village Development and Security Committees (JKKK), which manages the Kampung Tringkap multipurpose hall, were pressured by the BN-led state government.
Chiong says he was informed of the booking cancellation at midnight, by the supervisor of the hall, who said that the venue could not be used for political purposes.
“This is not a valid reason as we have had events in this hall before.
“We are now forced to move our dinner to another multipurpose hall in Kampung Raja, which is the nearest to Kampung Tringkap,” Chiong says.
According to Harapan’s campaign manager for the by-election, Wong Kah Woh, 55 tables have already been sold for the dinner and he expects the number to hit 60.
Harapan candidate M Manogaran also criticises the cancellation and says such political tactics only burden the locals, especially since many of those who bought tickets to the event were the elderly.
Najib visits Orang Asli village redeveloped during BN's rule
8.30am: Brinchang - Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak spends 30 minutes having breakfast at Kampung Sungai Ruil here on his second day of campaigning in the highlands.
About 100 Orang Asli villagers have been awaiting his arrival on this cold and windy morning.
This is Najib’s second visit to the village ever since the settlement was rebuilt with semi-detached double-storey houses, which were given for free to the villagers.
According to him, the redevelopment project carried out under the previous the BN administration had cost RM44 million and the houses are now worth about RM400,000 each.
“If any Pakatan Harapan leaders say BN never helped the Orang Asli community - this is undeniable proof that we did,” the Pekan MP says.
However, when pointed out that this settlement is the only Orang Asli village that had been redeveloped, Najib appears irked and says that this was a special project following a tragedy in the area.
“Other areas (are developed) in stage, we have a plan…these things can’t happen overnight,” he says.
8.30am: Restoran Bunda, Tanah Rata - Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa questions whether the current Election Commission (EC) is constitutionally valid.
He says the Federal Constitution states that the EC “shall consist of a chairperson, a deputy chairperson and five other members”.
As the commission only has one chairperson currently, that is Azhar Azizan Harun, Annuar says it is no longer in line with the constitution.
“I am not a lawyer but I have consulted several senior lawyers and they believe that the word “shall” means it is mandatory to have seven people on the commission,” Annuar says in a press conference here today.
He also brought up the issue of the period of voting time for the Cameron Highlands by-election, saying that most of the voting districts close their polling stations before 5.30pm. Some, he said, close as early as 1pm.
BN has contacted the EC, who said the timing cannot be changed, Annuar said, so as such, he urged voters to go out early to vote.
8am - Kuala Medang morning market: Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo and Pakatan Harapan candidate for the by-election M Manogaran, bump into PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, who was campaigning for BN, during a walkabout at the market.
Earlier, a local had voiced grievances about the telecommunication services in the area to Gobind.
The minister and the candidate then joined the locals for breakfast, at a stall there.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Maszlee Malik, who was scheduled to join Gobind, and Manogaran at 8am, arrived two hours later.
