PUTRAJAYA: Umno has cried foul over the Election Commission's (EC) selection of dates for the Tanjung Piai by-election, claiming that the body is not impartial.
Its secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa accused the EC of deliberately selecting Nov 2 and 16 for the nomination and polling dates respectively.
Umno is scheduled to hold its annual general assembly from Nov 13 to 16.
Besides Umno, MCA is also affected by the by-election dates as the party is scheduled to hold its annual general meeting on Nov 2 and 3.
"This is being done to disadvantage Umno. Indirectly, the EC is seen to be helping Pakatan Harapan – especially Bersatu (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia) – to retain the Tanjung Piai seat," said Annuar in an interview with Umno Online.
Annuar said the matter would be raised at the party's management meeting.
He said despite this, the Opposition will not allow Pakatan to "tie its hands and feet" in fighting for the people.
"The people's aspirations and voice will be our priority, especially during the by-election. We are committed to rise with the people to defeat Pakatan," he said.
The Tanjung Piai seat fell vacant after the death of its MP Datuk Dr Md Farid Md Rafik from complications following a heart attack.
In the 14th General Election, Dr Farid of Bersatu had defeated Barisan's Datuk Seri Wee Jeck Seng of MCA and PAS' Nordin Othman.
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