Police: Be civilised during ‘ceramahs’

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KUCHING: Supporters of political parties are reminded to act in a civilised manner while attending ‘ceramahs’ during the campaign period.

State police GE13 spokesperson ACP Azam Abdul Hamid cautioned that the police would not hesitate to take action against rowdy supporters if their behaviour was found to be provocative and a threat to public order.

“We received a police report on the first day of campaigning regarding the behaviour of supporters from one political party who were said to be behaving in an extreme manner during a ‘ceramah’.

“We would like to remind supporters to behave themselves while attending ‘ceramahs’ and to act in a civilised and educated manner,” he said during a daily GE13 briefing at state police headquarters here yesterday.

Azam also reminded supporters attending ‘ceramahs’ to ensure their vehicles were not inappropriately parked, while those who are not attending should avoid slowing down while passing through the area, as both instances could result in a traffic jam.

He disclosed that the first day of campaigning saw a total of 15 ‘ceramahs’ held statewide; with seven by Barisan Nasional, two by DAP and six by PKR.

“The police have so far approved all permit applications for ‘ceramahs’. We have not rejected any yet,” he said.

He revealed that 37 police reports had been lodged across Sarawak since nomination day, with the majority of them involving the tearing down or vandalism of election posters or billboards in Bau, Serian, Sibu Jaya, Sarikei and Sematan in Lundu.

Out of the total, the police have opened nine investigation papers under Section 427 of the Penal Code for causing mischief.

Members of the media were also reminded not to sensationalise news reports which could result in confusion among the general public.

“Now is not the time to sensationalise your news. Use the correct choice of words as it could result in police action being taken against you for instigation,” he said.