Top, the banner before it was vandalised, bottom, the banner after being torn to shreds.
KUCHING: The run up to the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Julau branch election slated for this Sunday is getting intense with members aligned to branch chairman candidate Semana Sawang, lodging police reports against an act of mischief.
According to the complainant Tuai Rumah Munor Gan, the branch election poster of the candidate Semana was dismantled by some unknown person.
“On the poster are faces of our party leaders and Semana our branch chairman candidate, the faces of other leaders are that of party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, deputy president candidate Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, Women leader Zuraida Kamaruddin, PKR Sarawak chairman Baru Bian, Puncak Borneo MP Willie Mongin, Saratok MP Ali Biju and Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How,” said Munor.
Munor said when he was passing by the Entabai junction yesterday evening (Nov 8) and he was surprised to find that the banner was torn into pieces and its wooden frame, lying on the ground.
As he did not like such mischief or public nuisance, he lodged the police report today (Nov 9) at Julau police station.
When contacted, Semana said it is only natural that residents lodged report against any irresponsible people in their area.
He then told party members to be wise and matured when electing their leaders because once the opportunity to vote is gone it will be ‘gone forever’.
“I hope members elect leader(s) who have struggled for the party all this years and also those fighting for NCR lan d rights, and therefore reject those who did not,” he said.
The branch members will also vote for PKR office bearers for the next term through the e-voting system this Sunday.
The only position certain at party central level was that of the president and this would be filled up by Port Dickson MP Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim because only his name was put up by members at the close of nomination.
Minister of Economic Affairs Mohd Azmin Ali who is also former Selangor Menteri Besar is contesting against former party secretary and former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli.
Semana who is a NCR land defender and a consultant engineer, is pitted against Julau MP Larry Sng, who won the parliamentary election via independent votes last May 9 but joined PKR only three months ago.
Prior to the latest police report by Munor, another police report was lodged against the PKR Julau branch for allegedly enlisting some members without their knowledge or consent.
State PKR leaders has also lodged a complaint to the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commision (MACC) for suspected abuse of power and corruption after their member count surged from 603 to more than 13,000 in one single day in June.
PKR’s top level is divided on the affairs happening at the Julau branch.
The PKR election via e-voting system ends on Sunday with Sarawak members and those in the Tawau, Keningau and Persaingan re-election in Sabah as the last groups to cast their votes. Sarawak PKR has 29 branches and around 50,000 members.