Polls fever officially starts today

All candidates for the state polls to be known before noon as nomination closes at 10am, there’s no objection time

ALL SET FOR BIG DAY: State Election Commission (EC) personnel put up a banner at Kapit District Council (KDC) office ahead of nomination day today. KDC serves as the nomination centre for Pelagus constituency. Thirty of the 82 constituencies will receive nomination papers from candidates at respective Resident’s and district offices, as well as local councils serving as nomination centres today. — Bernama photo

KUCHING: This morning will be a busy one for candidates from political parties and individuals keen to be ‘wakil rakyats’ of the 82-seat State Legislative Assembly.

They will be filing their nomination papers to contest in the 11th state election, where polling will be on May 7.

Nomination process is from 9am to 10am, and the number of candidates queuing at nomination centres across the state is expected to be huge if the 971 nomination forms snapped up as at Friday is any indication.

“From this election onwards, there will be no more display and objection time. At 10am, nomination will be closed, and the returning officers will process the nomination papers at the centre itself,” said State Election Commission director Datuk Takun Sunggah to The Borneo Post.

“After going through all due processes, the returning officers will announce the candidates.”

Based on past polls, Takun does not anticipate any untoward incidents today. Across the state today, eight schools and five libraries are closed to serve as nomination centres.

In Pantai Damai, Kuala Rajang and Lambir constituencies, institutions of higher learning are used as nomination centres, and so are civic centres and community halls in 23 constituencies.

In other constituencies, sports complexes and government premises are being used as nomination centres.

Once the nomination process is over, the candidates can start their election campaigns, and they have until midnight on May 6 to get their strategies or propaganda right to woo voters to their side.

If past polls are any indication, the whole state will gradually be filled with billboards and posters in a kaleidoscope of colours and shapes bearing political messages and caricatures.

Not to be missed out would be party flags, fishtails and banners hanging along the roads. Additionally, letter boxes will be filled not with normal mails but election brochures, pamphlets and leaflets. Such materials will also be affixed to vehicles’ windscreen wipers.

Entertainment centres may see a drop in business as the people turn to the nightly ceramahs at villages, longhouses, coffeeshops and open spaces, where the candidates speak their minds on makeshift platforms or on the back of 4×4 vehicles.

In the election this time around, the Warrior Ubah mascots of the DAP will have lots of company because several political parties have come up with their own plush toys. SUPP Senadin, for instance, will showcase its ‘Bumble Bees’ while PKR joins the crowd with its ‘Rhino Adil’.

But the battles this time around will not be fought on the ground alone. Political parties from both ends have already sent their cybertroopers to flood the social media with their messages and catchy videos as many voters now have access to the Internet and smartphones.

The number of seats up for grabs this time is 82, which is 11 more than the last state polls in 2011 following the Election Commission’s delineation exercise. The new seats are Batu Kitang, Stakan, Serembu, Bukit Semuja, Gedong, Kabong, Tellian, Bukit Goram, Murum, Samalaju, and Mulu.

Following the re-delineation exercise, four seats have been renamed: Bengoh has been renamed Mambong, Batang Air (Batang Ai), Belawai (Kuala Rajang) and Kidurong (Tanjong Batu).

From the ruling BN coalition, PBB will be contesting in 40 seats, PRS 11, SUPP 13 and SPDP 5. The remaining 13 are direct BN candidates. Of these 13, seven are formerly from UPP and three each from Teras and PBB.

On the other side of the political fence, PKR said they would be contesting in 40 seats, the DAP 30, Amanah 13, and PAS 11.

As at press time, however, PKR has only announced 35 candidates as negotiations with its Pakatan Harapan partners – the DAP and Amanah – seem to have hit a brick wall.

The DAP insisted PKR honour the seat-allocation arrangement agreed to by the national leaders of both parties. It is said that under the agreement, the DAP will get to contest 30 seats.

Yesterday, state DAP chairman, Chong Chieng Jen, issued an ultimatum to PKR – honour the agreement or the DAP may field a candidate in Batu Kitang, of which PKR had already announced they would be fielding PKR national Women vice president Voon Shiak Ni.

The five ‘thorny’ seats besieging Pakatan Harapan are said to be Tasik Biru, Mambong, Simanggang, Bukit Semuja and Mulu, where DAP claimed three were DAP seats.

Meanwhile, the number of independents joining the fray will be known before noon today.

Come May 7, 1,138,650 voters are eligible to pick the leaders of their choice.

Of the number, 1,113,522 are ordinary voters, 25,022 are advance voters comprising military, police and general operation force personnel, including their spouses, and the remaining 106 are postal voters.

Advance voting has been set on May 3, and the deadline to apply for advance voting was April 20 while the closing date to register as overseas postal voters is today.

 

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