Melaka polls: CCTV captures three men removing, dumping PH flags
All the men, dressed in dark clothing, were seen approaching the flags before taking them down and throwing them on the ground.
KOTA MELAKA - Dozens of Pakatan Harapan (PH) flags put up around the Kota Laksamana state seat were allegedly vandalised in an incident in the early hours of Wednesday.
The incident, at about 2am, took place along the main road in Kampung Lapan here.
PH candidate for the Kota Laksamana state seat, Low Chee Leong, said he regretted the incident, which is believed to have been carried out by three men based on witness accounts and closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage at the location.
“Based on nearby CCTV footage, all the men, dressed in dark clothing, were seen approaching the flags before taking them down and throwing them on the ground.
“Some witnesses who saw the incident tried to call out to and chase them, but the three men fled towards a nearby apartment building,” he told Sinar Harian on Thursday.
Following the incident, a police report was lodged at the Tengkera police station in Melaka Tengah at 8.39am on Wednesday.
Low said he regretted such actions as he believed election campaigns should be conducted in a proper and mature manner.
He said the PH campaign team for Kota Laksamana put up the flags at the location at about 1am on Tuesday.
“Caretaker Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh has previously stressed that all political parties must campaign in a healthy and fair manner.
“I hope there will be no more sabotage like this. Whatever happens, my team and I will not be disheartened. Instead, we will keep working hard to ensure victory here is defended,” he said.
The Election Commission has set Nov 14 as polling day for the 16th Melaka state election, with early voting on Nov 10.
The state assembly was dissolved on Sept 23. A total of 79 candidates are contesting the polls for 28 state assembly seats.
In the 2021 election, Barisan Nasional won 21 seats to form the government, while PH took five and Perikatan Nasional two. DAP won four of PH’s seats, including Kota Laksamana.
Kota Laksamana will see a three-cornered fight between Low, former Secretary of Melaka MCA Youth Melvin Chua Kew Wei (Barisan Nasional) and Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama)'s Ethan Lim Zhi Hao.
Low won the seat in the 2021 Melaka state election with 13,508 votes and a 11,494-vote majority.
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