SEREMBAN: The two-week campaigning for the Negri Sembilan election went on without any major incident, with 92 police report lodge throughout the period, says Tan Sri Mohd Khalid Ismail.
The Inspector-General of Police said 24 investigation papers have been open so far, including four reports related to claims of vote-buying.
The remaining reports were related to offenses such as vandalising or damaging election materials.
“Most of the cases we are probing are minor offenses such as vandalism against the banners and flags of the contesting parties,” he said.
The IGP said 5,500 personnel were deployed, including from outside the state to maintain public security and order at all times.
“Apart from the usual enforcement, we also focused on 26 hotspot areas in the state to prevent any untoward incident,” he said.
He also urged political parties which emerged victorious in yesterday’s election to remind their supporters to abide by the law at all times.
“My advice to the winning parties is to remind their supporters to stay disciplined and follow instructions from the authorities.
“As we know, the police’s responsibility spans before, during, and after the polls and we are aware that post-election tensions could spark unrest, particularly if a transition of power occurs.
“Therefore, post-election, there might be factions trying to instigate one another and so on and we don’t want that,” he said.
Mohd Khalid said police will continue to remain vigilant and would enhance security in certain areas such as state government offices, the palace and other government premises.
On investigation into Perikatan Nasional election director Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor over alleged campaign remarks, the IGP said police are attempting to obtain a statement from him, who is currently in Kedah.
“The state police chief has made the necessary arrangements to send a team to record his statement,” Mohd Khalid said.
He said police will also gather evidence from other witnesses to complete its probe before the investigation paper is forwarded to the Attorney General’s Chambers.
