PONTIAN: Following the new Election Commission’s (EC) ruling that requires political campaigners for the Tanjung Piai parliamentary poll to obtain police permits for their walkabouts, including door-to-door visits, Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng says his campaign has been somewhat impacted.
“More or less, this will jeopardise how I reach out to the voters, as we will need time to apply for the necessary permits for some places that are not covered yet.
“But I will re-strategise and use other methods to continue campaigning for the rest of the coming days.
“I can still meet people in other ways, such as at crowded places,” he said when met after a ceramah at Kampung Parit Rambai here on Tuesday night (Nov 12).
Walkabouts and door-to-door visits, said Wee, were some of the methods he used daily in campaigning.
When asked, Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan also expressed dismay over the new ruling, which he called “troublesome'” to all campaigners, regardless of political divide.
“I got worried after I was informed about this new ruling when I was campaigning at the Parit Ismail district polling centre earlier today (Tuesday).
“So I immediately texted Ec chairman chairman Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun, and he told me that it was the police’s decision.
“Since when have we had such a ruling for election?” he asked.
Mohamad called on the police to review the decision as there were only a few days left for campaigning before the polling on Saturday (Nov 16).
Mohamad also said the presence of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Wednesday (Nov 13) will likely impact the ground sentiments.
However, in the spirit of “the best man wins”, he said, Barisan would work hard to convince voters to support them. -The Star