Wee: PH politicians still disregarding election rules

Reports By MUGUNTAN VANAR, STEPHANIE LEE and KRISTY INUS

PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan politicians are still disobeying election rules especially with their vote-buying attempts, claims Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic).

The MCA president said the most recent incident was when Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi announced that the government would allocate RM50,000 for the upgrading of facilities at a school under the Kimanis constituency.

“This is strange (pelik)! He is the Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister but he can announce allocation of funds to schools?

“When did schools become tourist attractions (under his portfolio)” he said in a statement.

Dr Wee said the Election Commission (EC) should act against those who commit election offences in the days leading up to the Kimanis by-election.

He claimed that Pakatan politicians have been committing election offences in every by-election held since the 14h General Election.

“Do they feel emboldened because the EC has not taken any action against them so far?” he said, noting that this was not the first time Mohamaddin had dished out allocations during a by-election.

He alleged that during the Semenyih by-election, Moha-maddin had announced that RM80,000 would be allocated for the upgrading of a hall in Semenyih, before realising that it contravened the Election Offences Act 1954.

Dr Wee also questioned why the Government is not fulfilling its promise to ensure that elections were run with transparency, as Pakatan had promised in its election manifesto.

Separately, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi said the announcement on the RM50,000 allocation for SMK Bongawan ll near here should not be made an issue.

He said the announcement at the launch of Jelajah Cuti Cuti

Malaysia in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM2020) at the school was following an open request for assistance from Papar district officer Ghulam Rasul Hapil to enable the school’s facilities to be upgraded.

“The RM50,000 allocation was only announced and will not be acquired today.

“I had clearly told the (school) principal to submit the letter and I will approve the allocation.

“It’s a minister’s allocation. I don’t see any problem as we are giving this assistance to the school for the students, and they are not eligible to vote yet, ” he said after the VM2020 Jelajah Cuti Cuti Malaysia launch on Saturday night.

Mohamaddin added that the allocation was for the school’s hall, football field and other facilities.

“This is for the use of students, and these students can’t even vote yet so I hope nobody will say that this is an election offence, ” he said adding that the school had asked for assistance not long ago.