JOHOR BARU: DAP’s Seputeh MP Teresa Kok started her speech late during the Pakatan Harapan ceramah on Feb 26, says MCA spokesman Mike Chong.

       He said Kok should not have “intimidated” the police for refusing to allow her to complete her speech.

       He said that at the Feb 26 ceramah, Kok and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng arrived at 9pm, but Kok did not begin her speech until about 9.40pm, despite the previous 10pm limit for ceramahs.

       “Kok arrived late and asked the police to allow the programme time to be lengthened by another 30 minutes.

       “If the extension had been given, it would have exceeded the 10pm limit. The police did not allow an extension on legal grounds to ensure that campaigns during the election will run smoothly.

       “Hence, there was no need for Kok to make such a declaration tangled with threats,” said Chong in a statement Friday (March 4).

       Previously, the Election Commission (EC) SOP stated that ceramah could not go beyond 10pm, but this was extended to midnight starting Wednesday (March 3).

       “Kok is unable to alter the fact that she was attempting to intimidate the police and in doing so, she has tarnished her own image as an elected representative,” Chong added.

       Chong urged Kok to cooperate with the police, adding that police who were present during the DAP ceramah on Feb 26 would be able to provide evidence of this.

       He also claimed that Kok had accused a lion dance performance organised by a group supporting Barisan/MCA for causing the 30-minute delay.

       “A lion dance performance was held – this is accurate. However, this is not the main reason why the police opened investigation papers on Kok,” he said.

       A video is currently circulating on social media, depicting a dissatisfied Kok who was not allowed to speak beyond the previous 10pm limit at the DAP’s Yong Peng operation centre on Feb 26.

       In the video, Kok is seen asking the police to allow the ceramah to be extended till 10.30pm, claiming that DAP could only start speaking at 8.30pm instead of the scheduled 8pm, as noise from a lion dance performance next door was disrupting the ceramah.

       MCA has also denied that the lion dance next door was held by Barisan.

       Batu Pahat OCPD Asst Comm Ismail Dollah said Kok is currently being investigated for her speech on Feb 26 as it contained “threats against the police”.

       The Johor state election has a 14-day campaigning period and polling is on March 12.