The final leg of the PKR election starts today and our reporters on the ground have been busy covering the election process in the 21 scheduled branches today. Here are their updates.
Those having their party election today besides PetraJaya, Serian, Bandar Kuching, Kota Samarahan, Kanowit, Miri, Lubok Antu, Batang Sadong, Batang Lupar, Betong, Saratok, Julau, Lanang, Mukah, Selangau, Kapit, Hulu Rajang, Bintulu, Baram, Limbang and Lawas.
There are about 51,000 eligible members across Sarawak who are eligible to cast their votes. The voting time starts from 9am till 4pm, while results is expected around 5pm today.
KUCHING DIVISION
Petra Jaya’s polling rescheduled, police report lodged
PETRA JAYA (11:51 am): The election process at PKR Petra Jaya’s branch was in turmoil this morning as the voting process that was suppose to take place at 9am at Seri Liny Hotel in Jalan Haji Taha had been completely scrapped, leaving disappointed voters no choice but to head home.
The somber atmosphere at the Petra Jaya Branch Voting Registration Center at Jalan Haji Taha here here this morning.
According to Petra Jaya branch chief, Iswardy Morni, the polling date in his branch had been changed suddenly from today to tomorrow (Nov 11).
He was insistent that polls should be carried out today as scheduled.
“We are now waiting for five tablets from Kuching Branch to vote for e-voting,” he said.
The e-voting was supposed to start at 9am and end at 4pm.
The voting booth for Petra Jaya’s PKR branch has been empty since this morning as the polling date has been deferred to tomorrow.
Later on, Iswardy announced that he would be lodging a police report at the Simpang Tiga police station at 1pm today as the sudden change of their election date was suspicious.
“No reasons were given but we have the suspicion that it was deliberate to confuse and bring down the number of voters,” said Iswardy when contacted.
By changing the date of the election at the last minute, this he said will confuse the members in Petra Jaya when they should be coming down to vote.
Smooth sailing for Kota Samarahan
KOTA SAMARAHAN (9:57 am): The PKR election process that is schedule to be held at the Kota Samarahan Industrial Training Institue has started and the process is going smoothly.
Although there were two camps present that were still fiercely campaigning for candidates Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and Rafizi Ramli at the entrance of the polling centre, no incidents of commotion took place.
Use of loud speakers disrupt voting process
KOTA SAMARAHAN (12:02 pm): There have been complaints of loudspeakers disrupting the voting process of the PKR election at the Kota Samarahan Branch today.
According to Candidate of the Central Leadership Council and Penang PKR Chairman Datuk Mansor Othman, complaints about the matter have already been relayed by Candidate Head of Jemree Sabli to the Head of Central Election Committee (JPP) who served here.
“Speakers should not be used, we have made a complaint report on this… there cannot be any provocation,” he said when met by reporters here today.
However, he said the department informed him that the use of speakers was far more than 50 meters from the voting centre.
Nevertheless, he was happy that the polling process at the centre went smoothly without any unnecessary incidents.
“Do not scramble to throw votes but we do not know the situation in Julau, but I was told it is raining heavily there,” he added
Seamless start of the election at Bandar Kuching
KUCHING (11:41 am): Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) election process for Bandar Kuching Branch has started smoothly today with 557 members eligible to vote for this election.
Bandar Kuching PKR branch chief, Simon Siah who won unopposed for the post, said today’s poll started at 9am this morning will end at 4pm this evening.
“So far the polling process has gone smoothly without any incidents of commotion and the decision will be announced this evening by the head of the task force,” he said.
In addition to winning the Kuching City Branch chief without contest, Siah, who is a lawyer, also competing for the post of AMK Central Vice-Head.
SIBU DIVISION
Rain in Sibu, but all is well
Members checking their names before casting their votes at PKR Lanang here.
SIBU (12:37): The party election for Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Lanang branch here went smoothly today. Nevertheless, the momentum has yet to pick up perhaps due to the rain.
A party worker there told reporters that nearly 60 people have turned up to cast their votes.
It is learned that PKR Lanang has about 2,000 members.
Spotted at Julau: a wave of Rafizi supporters
About 1,000 voters in yellow shirts aligned to Rafizi was spotted today at the PKR election in Julau
JULAU (12:54 pm): If yellow shirts were anything to go by, the PKR election in Julau here today is being dominated by a team aligned to Rafizi Ramli.
The about 1,000 voters who turned at Julau Sports Complex as early as 8am were supposed to be voting for the ‘Reformasi 20 Tahun’ team aligned to Rafizi who is involved in a steep contest with Azmin Ali for PKR’s deputy President post.
However, some who doned on yellow shirts were seen entering the rival’s booth which almost sparked tension between the two groups.
Fortunately, it happened right under the nose of an duty policemen who managed to calm down the situation right away.
Another tense situation happened when a member aligned to Rafizi, Andy Wong Hong Yu was denied entry into the polling station.
The situation was successfully defused by the police.
For the record, Andy Wong was PKR candidate for Julau seat in 2013 general election.
To ensure no recurrence of untoward incidents a team of police’s Light Strike Force was put on standby at hot spots.
Julau District Police Chief, DSP Bidol Noyeng when met at scene believed that among the crowd of voters some were just supporters and not eligible to vote.
Wong talking with Dsp Bidol after he was denied entry into the polling station
Apart from slight misunderstanding at the registration booth and at the entrance of the polling station, the election process had been smooth, he said, while expressing hope that supporters of both camps would refrain from provoking one another.
He warned that, the police would not hesitate to act accordingly if situation warranted.
Meanwhile, a senior part member expected about 10,000 voters turnout at both Julau and Pakan polling stations.
They were to cast their votes online and with 80 tablets provided the voting process was expected to be done accordingly before 4pm deadline.
Meanwhile, Rafizi were among those present at the polling centre to observe the election process. Also present was Julau MP Larry Sng.
Photographs go viral on social media, confusion over polling date changes
A photograph of candidate Rafizi, Larry Sng and Dato Sng Chee Hua has been making rounds on social media.
KUCHING (2:14 pm): Photographs of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leaders and PKR Julau supporters going viral in WhatsApps group today as the fierce battle for the party deputy president post enter the final lap.
The Borneo Post received two photographs showing PKR deputy presidency candidate Rafizi Ramli having a discussion with Julau MP Larry Sng and former Julau MP Dato Sng Chee Hua.
The sender when asked claimed that he got the photograph from his group.
He said the photograph was taken in Sibu today.
Larry when asked by Borneo Post denied he was having breakfast with Rafizi in Sibu today.
Supporters wearing yellow t-shirts with Larry Sng’s face emblazoned on them.
In another viral photograph, members of PKR Julau were lining up with their voting documents wearing yellow t-shirts with Sng’s face emblazoned on them.
Larry in a Facebook posting yesterday called upon his supporters to vote for Rafizi on election day tomorrow (Sunday).
Meanwhile, incumbent chairman of PKR Petra Jaya, Baharuddin Datuk Mokhsen said he is equally puzzled by the frequent changing of polling dates.
“We appealed for two days voting but that was not approved, two days ago they said it will be over two days,” he lamented.
When asked whether his rival camp had lodged a police report over the date change, Baharuddin refused to comment.
“No comments,” he concluded.
MIRI DIVISION
S’wak PKR accuses State Govt of trying to Sabotage Lawas’ polls
Baru Bian
LAWAS (Bernama): Sarawak PKR will be lodging a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission over alleged abuse of power by outsiders to derail its Lawas branch’s polls today.
Its chairman Baru Bian said the the branch’s management was notified at 11.30pm yesterday that permission to use the Lawas Indoor Stadium had been withdrawn, thus causing the elections there to be almost scuppered.
“The excuse given was that in our application to the stadium’s management and the local authority we had stated that it was for a thanksgiving function and not for political purposes,” he told reporters after casting his ballot during the branch’s polls, which was finally allowed to proceed as scheduled today.
Baru, who won the division’s top post unopposed, denied the claim (thanksgiving function) saying that the application had clearly stated that it was for holding the branch’s elections and that all existing laws and by-laws would be adhered to .
“We had obtained the approval and had paid the RM500 rental to use the stadium but at the eleventh hour we were told we could not use it, this is an attempt at sabotage and abuse of power,” he said, adding that the instruction to withdraw the approval to use the facility was made by a senior state government official.
Baru, who is also Works Minister, said that although in the end the election process was allowed to proceed today, in the first place the episode should not have happened because the GPS-led state government had stated its willingness to cooperate with the Pakatan Harapan -led federal government (made up of Bersatu, DAP, PKR and Amanah) .
He further claimed that similar sabotage attempts were also made to derail the PKR polls in the Lubok Antu and Julau divisions but these were not at the last minute.
MUKAH DIVISION
A small turnout for PKR Mukah
By 1:30pm, only 40 of the 85 registered PKR members at Mukah branch have turned up to vote.
MUKAH (2:11 pm): It is less than two hours before the polling centre of the Mukah PKR branch (MPP) will be closed, and only a small percentage of registered PKR members have turned out to vote,
According to Fadzil Wahab who is responsible for overseeing the voting activities, as of 1:30pm, only 40 of the 85 registered members have casted their votes.
The venue at Hotel Li Hua Mukah will be closed at 4pm this afternoon and the decision will announced at around 5pm. After opening at 9.30 am, the polling process went smoothly.
More updates to follow.