Manogaran says sorry amid a sea of criticism over shirt

Manogaran (centre) with Pahang DAP chairman Leong Ngah Ngah (left) .

CAMERON HIGHLANDS: Pakatan Harapan candidate M. Manogaran apologised for the oversight of wearing a shirt with a party logo to the voting centre amidst criticisms against him and calls for action to be taken.

Photographs of Manogaran wearing a white shirt with a PKR logo on his chest while inside a voting centre yesterday went viral on social media.

Election Commission chairman Azhar Azizan Harun said displays of party emblems within the grounds of polling centres were not allowed under election laws.

“We have taken action by asking him (Manogaran) to leave the voting centre.

“Under the rules, nobody is allowed to exhibit party logos or distribute campaign materials within the voting area as well as 50m away from the centre,” Azhar told reporters after visiting a voting centre at SJK(T) Ringlet here yesterday.

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong took the EC to task for not stopping Manogaran from entering the polling centre.

“I am not surprised that EC issued a face-saving statement saying Manogran was forced out.

“The question is, how was Mano­gran allowed into the polling centre? No police personnel?” he wrote in a Facebook post yesterday.

Dr Wee said if a Barisan Nasional candidate pulled such a stunt during the 14th General Election, that person would have been severely criticised.

Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Asy­raf Wajdi Dusuki posted two such photos on his Facebook account, pointing out such an action was “clearly against the law and an offence was committed”.

Bersih said Manogaran’s excuse – that it was early in the morning and he was in a rush – was “rather flimsy”, as he is a seasoned election campaigner and lawyer himself.

“As firsthand eyewitness of the offence, we urge the EC to lodge a police report. We call for an investigation and action to be taken by the police and the Attorney General’s Chambers,” the election watchdog said.

Manogaran apologised for the incident which he described as unintentional.

“As soon as I was told about it, I went out. It is not an issue at all. I am sorry for the inadvertence. For two weeks I have been wearing this outfit, it was not intentional. Anyway, I did not speak to any voters,” said Manogaran when met at SK Pos Betau.