Survey: Fewer campaign materials displayed for GE14 this time
KUCHING: With t he 14th general election (GE14) gripping Malaysians, bi l lboards and posters of candidates and party flags should be the norm now.
It is, however, observed that there are fewer of such election campaign materials on the streets in some urban and rural areas, unlike in the past elections.
According to Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing who is also Parti Rakyat Sarawak ( PRS) president, the election machinery of both Barisan Nasional (BN) and opposition are being prudent in their election expenses.
“I don’t believe SPR ( Election Commission - EC) restricts the number or volume of election materials for PRU14 (14th General Election),” he said when contacted here yesterday.
Contrary to Masing’s opinion, Democratic Action Party ( DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen said: “The fact is that the opposition has a lot less resources compared with BN.”
This was why, he said, the DAP chose to put up its election campaign materials in stages.
All candidates have up to May 8 to appeal to voters to put the ‘X’ mark next to their name on the ballots during polling day.
Chong, who is taking on BN candidate Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian in Stampin, said the people could easily be overwhelmed by the BN propaganda given the resources that the ruling coalition had.
“They are in the government, they have all the resources to be mobilised. They have all the money they can get.
“We have to pay GST ( Goods and Services Tax) and they have got the GST money (revenue from GST) to spend,” he said in a phone interview.
Chong admitted that the DAP had no choice but to spend less on election campaign materials due to financial constraint.
He said the cost of printing was lower in the previous two elections – the 2016 state polls and 2013 parliamentary polls – adding that the printing cost had gone up by 30 per cent from the 2013 election, and 20 per cent from two years ago.
However, United People’s Party ( UPP) advisor Dr Chou Chii Ming opined that the traditional way of campaigning had been replaced by modern means including the usage of smartphone apps like WhatsApp and WeChat, as well as social media sites such as Facebook.
“These forms of communications are not just cheap but also fast and effective,” he said, adding that messages and vivid images could easi ly be sent to and received by the target group via Internet.
Chou felt that many voters would be better informed through modern communications, compared with displaying limited information in the open.
He also noted that various political text messages had been sent to numerous chat groups as early as March this year.
Political parties and their candidates are allowed to display their party flags and campaign materials during the campaign period, as stipulated under the Election Offences Act 1954.
The EC governs how political parties conduct their respective campaigns in the country, including the placement of election materials.
Attempts to get response from state EC director Datu Takun Sunggah regarding regulations on the placement of election materials were unsuccessful as at press time.
Under the Act, all parties and candidates who place their election materials have to apply for a permit from the EC – failing which, they could face a maximum fine of RM3,000 or one-year jail, or both.
Section 24B(4) of the Act reads: ‘A candidate or his election agent may, during the campaign period, display, furnish or distribute election campaign materials to members of the public in the constituency in which the candidate seeks election.’
According to Section 24( B)( 6) of the Act, election campaign materials include any advertisement, leaflet, brochure, flag, ensign, banner, standard, poster, placard, handbill, label or any form of temporary billboard.
A subsection of the same Act also states that no person should display or affix any election campaign material within a distance of 50m from the limits of any polling station during the campaign period.
Under the law, all displayed election campaign materials must be removed within 14 days after polling day.
Section 26 of the Act stipulates that no candidate should hold any talk or meeting on polling day, while any form of materials and any type of clothing that carry the name of a candidate or the logo of a political party are prohibited within a distance of 50m from any polling station.