MELAKA (Bernama): Ceramah (talks), public speeches and physical campaigns are not allowed during the Melaka state election, says Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh.

       In a media conference after the nomination of candidates on Monday (Nov 8), he called on all parties involved in the election to comply with standard operating procedures (SOP) to prevent the spread of Covid-19 as listed in EC’s portal.

       Abdul Ghani added that the SOPs were approved by the Health Ministry on Sunday (Nov 7).

       He said among the banned activities are house-to-house visits, walkabouts and the direct handing of pamphlets to members of the public.

       The SOP stipulates that candidates or party machinery are allowed to put up banners and buntings during the election as well as place pamphlets in the postboxes of residents by observing physical distancing of at least 1m.

       The activity is also limited to a group of only three persons.

       To campaign, he said candidates are encouraged to use social applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, WeChat, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Telegram and other applications as channels to deliver campaign messages.

       He said apart from that, they could also use television networks and local newspapers. He recommended that candidates utilise technology for their campaigns in line with the new normal practised following the Covid-19 pandemic.

       “Candidates are also subject to the Election Offences Act 1954 (Act 5 ) during the campaign and any form of campaigning via the mass media on polling day is not allowed,” he said.

       Only candidates who have police permits are allowed to campaign on vehicles using loudhailers at the stipulated time and place to deliver ceramah.

       Abdul Ghani said only one party operations room is allowed to operate for each candidate in a constituency during the campaign period with a limit of 50% capacity of the space available.

       Physical distancing must be followed while operations "sub-rooms" apart from the main one are not allowed.

       Apart from that, all those involved should also take an RTK Ag self-test every two days during the campaign, bearing the costs themselves and uploading the rest results to their respective MySejahtera application.

       Only those with negative results are allowed to be involved in campaign activities while those with positive results cannot take part in the campaign.

       The SOP limit party meetings to only two hours at a frequency not exceeding four times a week, for fully-vaccinated individuals only and occupying no more than 50% capacity of the space available, with physical distancing observed.

       “Party meetings mean a seating arrangement for meetings. These are not sessions for talks or briefings or whatever forms of physical campaigning, which is not allowed,” Abdul Ghani said.

       He added that a media conference after a party meeting is allowed with the presence of individuals who attended the meeting and journalists who have been fully vaccinated.

       For early voting and on polling day, party or candidate agents who have completed their duties or voters who have finished casting their votes should promptly leave the polling station.

       Voters should check voting information through the mySPR Semak application or the Semakan Daftar Pemilih SPR portal.

       “This is to control the number of voters coming to a polling station at any one time. The suggested schedule of timing is from 8am to 10am, 10am to noon, noon to 2pm, and 2pm to 4.30pm,” he said.

       Voters with symptoms such as cough, sore throat, breathing difficulty, or body temperature over 37.5℃, should be isolated and made to cast their votes at a separate tent.

       Symptomatic voters should be double-masked and wear disposable rubber gloves before holding any ballot paper in the voting cubicle.

       Those assisting symptomatic voters should be in full personal protective equipment (PPE).

       Voters who are Covid-19-positive would not be allowed to leave their place of treatment such as hospital, quarantine centre or home as they could transmit the infection to others.

       Voters who are patients under investigation (PUI) and persons under surveillance (PUS) and who wish to vote would be allowed to do so with the approval of the district health officer.

       Apart from that, voters in areas under the enhanced movement control order need to undergo an RTK Ag test 24 hours before voting day and only those who test negative could then seek police approval to go out and vote.

       For the official tallying of votes, only five supporters for the winning candidate (unofficial result) and three supporters from other candidates are allowed to be present.

       Those with permission to enter the vote tallying centre would be notified and an entry pass distributed by the Returning Officer before the election result announcement is made.

       “Victory celebrations by candidates are not allowed,” Abdul Ghani added. – Bernama