PALOH: Pakatan Harapan’s Paloh candidate Dr A. Ruban has cancelled his campaign programmes for the day after suffering severe back pain on Tuesday (July 7).
He said he suspects the pain could be due to a recurring slipped disc.
Ruban said he was scheduled to visit early voting centres in Kampung Gajah and Kampung Sri Tambak on Tuesday (July 7), as well as meet voters in the area.
However, he said he woke up with severe back pain and was advised by doctors to rest to prevent the condition from worsening.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have to cancel my entire campaign for today.
“This morning, I was supposed to go to Kampung Gajah and Kampung Sri Tambak to visit early voting centres and meet the people there.
“But when I woke up this morning, my spine was in severe pain. I suspect my slipped disc has returned,” he said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (July 7).
Ruban said the condition was likely due to his packed campaign schedule since the first day of campaigning, which included walkabouts and back-to-back programmes.
He said he decided to explain his absence as he did not want voters to wonder why he was not seen distributing flyers or campaigning at coffee shops.
“This is not a complaint. I am just worried people may ask, ‘Where is our candidate?’ when they do not see me giving out flyers or campaigning at kopitiams,” he said.
Ruban apologised to his campaign machinery and residents who had set aside time to meet him.
He said he hoped to recover as soon as possible, as he still wanted to revisit several areas before polling day.
“Although I have completed walkabouts in many housing areas and locations, I still want to go around for a second and third round.
“There are still many people I want to meet before polling day,” he said.
Ruban also thanked supporters for their prayers, messages and words of encouragement.
Paloh is seeing a four-cornered fight between incumbent Lee Ting Han of Barisan Nasional, Ruban of Pakatan Harapan-DAP, D.S. Jeevakumar of Perikatan Nasional-MIPP and Independent candidate G. Kamaleswaren.
