KUCHING: Political parties campaigning in conjunction with the 12th state election are urged to conduct their campaigns honorably and professionally.
Political analyst Prof Datuk Mohd Fadzil Abdul Rahman said they should not raise sensitive issues that could provoke racial strife and an unhealthy atmosphere.
“Campaign professionally and respectfully and focus by talking about the party’s direction rather than talking about the disadvantages of the party or the candidate contesting,” he said when contacted by our reporter on Wednesday (Nov 24).
Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh, during a press conference today, informed that the campaign period was set for 12 days after the nomination of candidates on Dec 6.
In this regard, Fadzil said the period is sufficient in view of the current pandemic situation.
“Although the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the 12th state election have not been specifically issued, it is not impossible that they are not much different in terms of self-control. All political parties must cooperate, including avoiding and uttering provocations, whether individual or party.
“Therefore, we hope that all parties can cooperate and comply with the SOPs to reduce Covid-19 infection or cause chaos in the state,” he pointed out.
Commenting on the polling date scheduled for Dec 18, he said that it is as expected taking into account the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
In a related matter, he also called on the EC to consider relaxing the conditions for campaigning in rural areas due to internet coverage problems.
“Flexibility is needed to run the campaign face-to-face but in a controlled manner including not doing it in a large scale.
“We need to take a lesson from the Melaka state election — politicians don’t care about summons because they can pay it.
“However, they need to respect and abide by the rules that have been set.
“Members and political parties need to be more responsible during the campaigning period, do not only think about the campaign and winning until they forget their real responsibility, which is to ensure the safety of the people,” he stressed.
