Umno and MCA are fuming as the dates set for the Tanjung Piai by-election clash with their respective annual general meetings.
MCA’s AGM is on Nov 2 and 3, while Umno’s is from Nov 13 to 16.
Nomination for the Tanjung Piai by-election has been set for Nov 2, while polling day is on Nov 16.
The Election Commission (EC) has denied any malice in deciding on the dates.
Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa believes the dates were chosen on purpose and in bad faith.
“We believe the EC had bad intentions towards one of the parties that would surely be involved in the by-election.
“They hope this way, it will greatly disadvantage Umno. Indirectly the EC is trying to help PH especially PPBM retain the Tanjung Piai seat,” Annuar said.
He said the decision will also favour Pakatan Harapan.
Annuar said Umno will discuss the matter, adding that it will not allow an easy victory for the ruling coalition.
He said Umno is determined to defeat PH in its territories, especially Tanjung Piai, where the coalition narrowly won in the last general election.
He added that although flights and hotels have already been booked for their AGM, Umno will meet tomorrow to discuss the dates.
Likewise, MCA president Wee Ka Siong said in a Facebook post that the probability of the dates clashing was “0.00000001” per cent.
“Many are asking why the EC is holding the by-election so late. I would like to know if it is really a coincidence,” he said.
However, Wee said MCA was prepared to make changes and postpone their AGM.
The Tanjung Piai seat has been traditionally contested by MCA but there are now calls for Umno to represent BN in the seat instead
Previously, the Sandakan by-election in May, which was contested by DAP, also clashed with the party’s annual congress. The by-election campaign period was from April 27 to May 11 while the DAP congress was on May 5.
EC chief Azhar Harun said the commission had no intention to make things difficult for Umno and MCA but said they had little choice but to settle for the dates chosen
“The by-election should not be held on a Friday, as it is compulsory for Muslim men to attend Friday prayers. Sunday is a working day in the state. So, the best option is to hold the by-election on a Saturday.”
Elaborating further, he said nomination and polling being held on Oct 5 and Oct 19 were unsuitable as Oct 5 was the Johor sultan’s official birthday.
He said holding the by-election on October 26 would interfere with preparations for Deepavali, which falls on October 27.
“If nomination was fixed for October 19, polling would be on November 2, which is still in the Deepavali period.
He also said the EC did not want pick Nov 23, the last day for the by-election to be held, as the commission wanted a seven-day margin in case anything unexpected happened.
As such, he said there was no choice but to pick the dates that had been set.
“The EC had no intention to cause trouble to Umno or MCA or be biased and unfair in setting the dates for the Tanjung Piai by-election.
“Any inconvenience is regretted,” Azhar said.
Earlier reports:
Oct 1, Tg Piai By-Election: 18-Year-Olds Can Contest but Can’t Vote
Oct 1, Tg Piai By-Election on Nov 16, Nomination on Nov 2