Anwar: Lodge police reports against any instances of wrongdoing during polls

PETALING JAYA: PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged the public to lodge police reports against any instances of wrongdoing in the campaign period for the Cameron Highlands by-election.

"If there is any wrongdoing, please lodge a police report. There will always be elements – both internal and external – that will pervert our fight for democracy.

"We have to work together to overcome these," he said in a tweet on Monday (Jan 14).

Anwar was echoing a tweet made by Election Commission chairman Azhar Azizan Harun on Sunday (Jan 13), who said that anyone who has direct evidence of wrongdoings in the campaigning period should lodge a report to the authorities.

However, he added that only those with first-hand information should lodge reports.

"Nobody should lodge a report if he or she does not have a first-hand factual information on any incident.

"If anyone with a second-hand story lodges a report, his or her statement to the authorities would be merely hearsay," he told The Star on Friday (Jan 11).

Anwar's statement came, after pictures of a woman wearing a red Pakatan Harapan T-shirt handing out money to supporters went viral on social media.

Pakatan has since clarified that the money was to reimburse "petrol costs" incurred by volunteers, who travelled to Tanah Rata during nomination day on Saturday (Jan 12).

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has accused Pakatan of double standards, given its strong stance against money politics.

Umno Youth Chief Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said that handing out political bribery disguised as allowances as an "outdated political tactic".

The Cameron Highlands by-election on Jan 26 will see a four-cornered fight between Pakatan's M. Manogaran, Barisan National's Ramli Mohd Nor, as well as independent candidates Sallehudin Ab Talib and Wong Seng Yee.