KUCHING: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Dato Sri Dr James Jemut Masing yesterday rubbished so-called reports of vote buying in Tamin as “wild allegations”.
“If indeed there was (vote buying), as alleged, why didn’t they file election petition for vote buying?” he said when contacted.
Masing was commenting on a news portal’s report that Malaysian Election Observation Network (MEO-Net) had evidence, including a short video recording, of cash being distributed to voters in Tamin.
Tamin is one of the eight seats won by PRS, a state Barisan Nasional (BN) component member, in the recent election.
Meanwhile, Tamin assemblyman Joseph Mauh Ikeh also denied he had used money to influence constituents.
The money spent during the election, he said, was to pay election workers and transportation expenses.
“We do use money but it is to pay those people who work for us during the election, and we also need money to pay for transport, which included the boats for us to move around. I don’t think this is wrong,” he said.
Although it has been more than a month since the state election, polls watchdog MEO-Net reportedly said it has found evidence to show that vote buying was rampant during the campaign period.
MEO-Net coordinator Ong Boon Keong also released a short video recording, which was allegedly shot on the verandah of Rumah Unban Anak Endu at Tenting Terentang in Nanga Selangau, under the Tamin constituency.
Tamin was won by BN through Mauh, who obtained 4,998 votes, a 1,292-majority over PKR Mengga Mikui.
So far, the only election filed was by PRS last Friday to nullify the result of the contest for Pelagus.
PRS claimed that money politics was involved during the election campaign there — the only seat the party lost.
State election director Datu Takun Sunggah, when contacted yesterday, said any reports or allegations of vote buying must be made through the proper channels.