PETALING JAYA: The increase in police presence during the ongoing Pelangai by-election campaign is nothing out of the ordinary, says Pahang police chief Yahaya Othman.
Yahaya said police personnel are deployed based on the number of applications for campaign activities by the political parties, and that it was all part of routine security measures.
“There is no need for the public to be afraid. Indeed, we have added more manpower to prepare for this by-election.
“We just want to ensure the people’s safety. There is no specific reason other than this,” he told FMT.
Earlier, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan urged the police to be more professional and “refrain from demonstrating bias” after what he perceived as an “unusually heavy police presence” in monitoring the party’s by-election campaign in Pelangai.
He said the alleged heightened surveillance by the police was scaring the public, who refused to talk to anyone from PAS or were reluctant to open the doors of their home to campaigners as they were wary of the police, Malay Mail reported.
“I don’t think there’s any need to be upset,” he said.
The Election Commission has scheduled polling for the Pelangai state by-election on Oct 7, with early voting set for Oct 3.
The by-election has been called following the death of assemblyman Johari Harun in the light plane crash in Shah Alam, Selangor, on Aug 17.
