PETALING JAYA: Campaigning for the state elections is expected to reach fever pitch in the last few days before polling on Saturday as the stakes are high for both sides of the divide, say electoral watchdogs.
With that, they called upon all parties and candidates to respect the laws and preserve harmony, as well as to stop the misuse of state resources to win the support of voters.
Bersih chairperson Thomas Fann said the campaign pitch will get higher in these last few days as the stakes are high for all contesting coalitions.
“This state election has been framed by both sides as a referendum on the nine-month-old unity government and both sides have been campaigning hard since Hari Raya Aidilfitri in April,” he said.
However, both sides must respect the Election Offences Act and other laws that regulate hate speech and defamation, he added.
“In their eagerness to win votes, they must remember that they have a higher responsibility to preserve the peace and harmony of the various communities,” he said.
Fann also claimed that the electoral watchdog had observed instances of misuse of state resources during the campaigning.
“State governments should be in caretaker mode and refrain from making major announcements or giving out allocations.
However, he said, the use of the Federal Government’s resources and machinery by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and other ministers was more difficult to judge.
Fann also said that Bersih had previously come up with the 3C guideline, which stood for “No Conditions, No Campaigning and No Candidates”.
“No Conditions should be attached to any promises of allocations or projects; No Campaigning should take place, like targeted allocations to states or groups within states having elections; and No Candidates should be present when announcements are made.
He claimed that Bersih found several violations, including the allocations made by Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to Terengganu youths, referring to the grant of RM100,000 for the Central Development Authority (Ketengah) youth association and RM250,000 for the Terengganu youth council announced by the Deputy Prime Minister.
Anwar had earlier said the grants had nothing to do with the state polls and was announced prior to the July 29 nomination day.
As for the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission, its chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki had said the grants were a government initiative and not a form of vote-buying.
Fann also said the Election Commission could provide clearer guidelines for the conduct of caretaker and non-caretaker governments so that they do not take advantage of their incumbency.
Undi18 movement co-founder Qyira Yusri said the lead-up to the state elections has been less intense than what was observed in the 15th General Election (GE15) as there are only six states going to the polls.
However, she also expects parties to begin to intensify their efforts to rally support in the last few days, saying that there will be more ceramah, TikTok videos, and election candidate content coming out.
Qyira encouraged people to come out to vote, saying that a high voter turnout is essential to prove that the government of the day was truly chosen by the people, for the people.
She also cautioned against discounting the power of the youth and thinking that social media is the way to get their votes.
“In GE15, youth voters made up 50.3% of the electoral roll. That’s 50% of the people who could possibly vote for you, so why wouldn’t you listen to what they have to say?
“Our concerns and cares matter and are just as important and valuable as insights from the older generations.
“If you want to win the support of the young people, the answer is not to dance on TikTok; it’s to include policies and plans in your manifesto and agenda that further young people’s interests and put their best interests ahead of your own political gains,” she said.
“I think it’s important for people to really pay attention since the state elections are no less important than the general election,” she said.
