KUCHING: The police will be deploying a total of 624 police officers and other personnel during the upcoming Jepak by-election period.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri said their assignments will be divided into five phases in order to ensure that the Jepak by-election will be held peacefully and smoothly.
“The first phase involves the preparation before the election, the second phase involves the nomination of candidates on Oct 21.
“Meanwhile, the third phase will involve the campaigning period from Oct 21 to Nov 3 and the fourth phase involves the polling day and official tallying of votes on Nov 4.
“As for the fifth phase, it involves the post-election period from Nov 4 to Nov 6,” he said in a press conference today (Oct 16).
In light of this, all voters and supporters of political parties are advised to vote in a disciplined manner and not to cause any provocation during the campaigning period and on polling day.
Mohd Azman added that political parties should practise a political process with integrity.
He also encouraged voters to go out to vote early in the morning en masse without worrying about the security as the police will ensure that the by-election process is carried out in a peaceful and orderly manner.
“Voters are also reminded to check their registration status, bring important documents (identification cards), get voting streams slips and identify their respective voting streams,” he said.
The Jepak by-election is held following the death of its incumbent Datuk Talib Zulpilip, 72, due to kidney complications on Sept 15.
The late Talib, a former minister in the Sarawak Chief Minister’s Office (Integrity and Ombudsman), had served as the Jepak assemblyman for six terms since 1996.
