Today’s nomination process for the Chini by-election can be regarded as the quietest and calmest with all quarters observing the new normal to help end the Covid-19 pandemic during this recovery movement control order period.
The Chini state by-election on July 4 is a three-cornered fight between Barisan Nasional (BN) and two independent candidates, said returning officer Datuk Zaliza Zulkipli.
BN’s Mohd Sharim Md Zain, 41, will face businessman Tengku Datuk Zainul Hisham Tengku Hussin, 64, and social activist Mohd Shukri Mohd Ramli, 49, in the by-election.
Zaliza announced the names of the candidates at about 10.30 am today, after the nomination process at Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara (IKBN) Pekan had closed at 10 am.
PKR, which contested the seat and lost in the last general election, had said that it would be staying away this time.
“After checking the nomination papers, I was satisfied (that everything is in order) and decided that none of the nominations was rejected,” he said when announcing the names of the candidates.
Tengku Zainul Hisham, who is using the “house” symbol, was the first to submit his nomination papers at 9am.
Mohd Sharim of Umno, a second-generation Felda Chini settler and chairman of Majlis Belia Felda Wilayah Kuantan, submitted his nomination papers one minute later, to defend the seat for BN.
In line with the spirit of Muafakat Nasional which comprises Umno and PAS, Mohd Sharim’s nomination was seconded by Pekan PAS deputy chief Mohd Fadhil Noor Abdul Karim, who contested the seat in the last general election in May 2018 but lost to BN’s candidate.
Blogger Mohd Shukri, who is using the “key” symbol, was the last to submit his papers at 9.04 am.
The Election Commission (EC) has set June 30 for early voting.
The Chini by-election was necessitated by the death of the incumbent assemblyman, Datuk Seri Abu Bakar Harun, 60, of BN on May 6 due to a heart attack.
Abu Bakar was first elected the Chini state assemblyman in the 11th general election in 2004.
In the last general election, Abu Bakar retained the seat with a 4,622-vote majority when he polled 10,027 votes to beat Mohd Fadhil Noor, who obtained 5,405 votes, and Mohamad Razali Ithnain of PKR, who received only 1,065 votes.
The Chini by-election is the 11th by-election to be held since the last general election and the first under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government. The PN alliance comprises several parties, including Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, BN, PAS and Gabungan Parti Sarawak.
Unlike in previous elections or by-elections, today’s nomination process saw no processions, or supporters accompanying candidates, to the nomination centre at the Pekan National Youth Skills Institute (IKBN).
Even leaders from the contesting parties were also nowhere to be seen in the vicinity of IKBN ― indicating the compliance by all quarters with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the Election Commission (EC) for the Chini by-election, which is making Malaysian electoral history as the first election in the country held under the “new normal”.
Strict checks were conducted at the main entrance to IKBN with only the relevant parties, including media practitioners and health personnel, allowed to enter after they had their body temperature taken. When in the IKBN compound, they were required to observe social distancing.
When Zaliza announced the candidates for the by-election, it was not greeted with cheers and applauds from their respective supporters, as would normally be the case in previous elections.
Despite the standard operating procedure prohibiting supporters from assembling within a 1.5km distance from the nomination centre, there were a few people seen hanging around outside the IKBN fence.
The sombre atmosphere at the nomination centre, however, turned lively for a few minutes after the announcement by Zaliza when a convoy of Barisan Nasional (BN) supporters, in four-wheel drive vehicles and and high-powered motorcycles, passed by carrying the BN flag and shouting the BN slogan.
The new normal practices, especially social distancing, was strictly implemented at the main hall of the nomination centre, with only a limited number of people allowed to be present, including from the media, and the seats for candidates, their proposers and seconders, placed a metre apart.
Besides wearing the face mask, candidates who arrived to submit their nomination papers were also given gloves to wear before using the stationery brought by the EC. They were also required to sanitize their hands.
As a precautionary measure against the Covid-19 outbreak, the Health Mijnistry had set up four tents nearby, with its staff ready in personal protective equipment (PPE) to act in case of the candidates, proposers or seconders showed Covid-19 symptoms.