KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — The nomination process for the state elections in six states and the by-election for the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat went smoothly with no untoward incident reported, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain.
Based on monitoring by the Royal Malaysia Police at the 173 nomination centres opened for this purpose today, there were incidents of provocation by supporters of the contesting political parties and the candidates concerned.
“PDRM also used drones to monitor the situation in the six states having the election and through our observation from the Bukit Aman Operations Centre, the process went well.
“The drones will also be used to monitor the situation on polling day (August 12),” he told Bernama today.
The state elections involved 36 seats in Kedah, Kelantan (45), Terengganu (32), Penang (40), Selangor (56), and Negeri Sembilan (36), with polling day set for August 12, while early voting is on August 8. Also held simultaneously is the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election.
In Selangor, state police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the nomination process at all 35 centres went well, per the rules and regulations.
“Voters who are going to the poll for early voting on August 8 and on polling day on August 12 are advised to comply with the stipulated rules and regulations to avoid any action by the authorities,” he said.
In Terengganu, state police chief Datuk Mazli Mazlan said a total of 2,468 police personnel were mobilised to monitor the security situation at the 32 nomination centres, as well as ensure smooth traffic flow.
“All political parties are seen to abide by the instructions and regulations set by the police and the Election Commission (EC).
“Everything went smoothly and all quarters are also satisfied with the assembly area (they are allotted), which is 50 metres from the nomination centre and so far, there are no complaints,” he said.
Mazli said the police will focus more on three hot locations, namely Batu Enam, Wakaf Mempelam and Kampung Buloh.
Meanwhile, in Penang, state police chief Datuk Khaw Kok Chin said the nomination process at the 23 centres in the state also went smoothly, with no untoward incidents reported.
In Kedah, a 24-year-old man was detained for flying a drone in restricted airspace during the nomination process in Pendang.
State police chief Datuk Fisol Salleh said the police also received a report on the use of an agricultural drone, which fell and caused injuries to a woman in Kuala Kedah.
He said the case was handed over to the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) for further action.
Prior to this, CAAM had imposed a ban on the use of drones throughout the 14 days campaign period to ensure the smooth running of the state election process, especially on the three important dates, namely on the nomination day today, early voting on August 8 and polling on August 12.
— Bernama
