Opposition: New EC ruling too extreme and unfair

KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition lawmakers are considering a legal challenge against the Election Commission's (EC) new ruling that political campaigners for the Tanjung Piai parliamentary poll this Saturday (Nov 16) are required to obtain police permits for their walkabouts, including door-to-door visits.

Opposition chief Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the new ruling seems to favour Pakatan Harapan and was unfair.

"We will look at the legal aspect. If the EC acted beyond the law, we may challenge it in court, if not for the coming Tanjung Piai by-election, then for future ones," he said when met at Parliament lobby on Tuesday (Nov 12).

He added that representatives, who are stakeholders, were not consulted beforehand on the new ruling.

"We only received a letter informing us about the ruling," he added.

He noted the EC should be fair to all parties and not act in favour of only one.

"I don't understand why the ruling cropped up during the Tanjung Piai by-election, he said, questioning if the EC was making it difficult for other parties.

Ismail also said the ruling would be an added burden on police, who now have to issue permits for ceramah held at every location.

Under the previous ruling, he said the EC would merely issue a blanket permit for a candidate to hold ceramah which covered an entire constituency.

Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid described the new rulings as extreme and illogical.

"It is too extreme. This is the first time in the nation's 14 general elections that such a ruling has been made," he said.

He noted that door-to-door campaigning has been the norm.

He also questioned why election watchdog Bersih 2.0 had not spoken up on the issue.

The by-election is being held following the death of Dr Md Farid Md Rafik, who was also Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, on Sept 21.

In the GE14, Dr Md Farid won the seat with a slim 524-vote majority over Barisan Nasional candidates Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng and PAS candidate Nordin Othman.

The by-election will see a six-cornered fight between Wee, Barisan Jemaah Ismiah Se-Malaysia's (Berjasa) president Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz, Pakatan Harapan's Karmaine Sardini, Gerakan's deputy secretary-general Wendy Subramaniam and independents Faridah Aryani Abdul Ghaffar and Ng Chuan Lock.