And it was all going so smoothly in the morning

JULAU:

The PKR election in the controversial Julau division went smoothly earlier in the day apart from a minor commotion involving one of the candidates.

Despite the heavy rain, a large crowd of voters in support of Rafizi Ramli, began arriving as early as 8am at the Julau sports complex.

They outnumbered supporters of incumbent deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.

Tight security by police prevented scuffles from breaking out between the two camps.

Julau police chief DSP Bidol Noyeng said police personnel managed to defuse the tension when some rival supporters crossed paths.

There was a brief commotion when a candidate for the division’s vice-chairman post, Andy Wong, was stopped by police from entering the polling centre.

Wong told The Star that he was not there to create trouble.

“I was asking the police to let me in as I wanted to verify the names of the voters to ensure that there is no cheating,” he said. The police, however, advised him to leave. Julau is one of 22 divisions in Sarawak that voted in the party election yesterday. Another seven divisions in the state will vote today to conclude the polls. The Julau division has captured headlines following accusations of irregularities in its membership, which spiralled from 603 to about 13,000 in June.

Rafizi urged candidates to prioritise the people’s interest and to accept the leadership of president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim above party positions.