Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Telegram for the latest stories and breaking news.
The campaign period for the 15th General Election (GE15) is in full swing, with many candidates setting up their banners and flags across Malaysia to push for voter support.
However, Segambut candidate Hannah Yeoh recently ran into some issues as her banners and flags in the Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) area were destroyed.
Yesterday morning, 8 November, TTDI citizens alerted Yeoh about the damage to her campaign material that had been set up on Sunday, 6 November. She promptly went to survey the damage herself.
Penduduk Taman Tun Dr Ismail maklumkan bahawa pagi ini bendera Harapan telah ditarik keluar, banner saya dipotong & billboard saya dihancurkan di beberapa lokasi. Sedih kerana kami bukan orang kaya. Permainan politik kotor dan menjijikkan. Bertanding secara bersih pls! #Segambut pic.twitter.com/1PeopawkOR
— Hannah Yeoh (@hannahyeoh) November 7, 2022
According to Yeoh, damaged banners were spotted at four locations surrounding Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi and Jalan Leong Yew Koh.
The Segambut candidate said that several banners displaying her face were severely slashed or cut in half, while other Pakatan Harapan (PH) flags that had been planted or tied up in the surrounding areas, were uprooted or had their strings cut, so they were not visible to passersby.
One of Yeoh’s billboards was also seen to be unscrewed and unbolted, with Yeoh suspecting that the culprits wanted to dismantle the whole sign.
Image via Hannah Yeoh (Twitter)
Image via Hannah Yeoh (Twitter)
The nuts and bolts that were removed from one of Yeoh’s billboards and left at the scene by vandals.
Image via Hannah Yeoh (Facebook)
Image via Hannah Yeoh (Facebook)
Yeoh has expressed her disappointment with the vandalism, calling it the result of “dirty politics”
The former Segambut MP said that she and her team had the right to set up the banners and flags in TTDI as they already acquired a permit from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and had paid a deposit to Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR).
She also mentioned that the campaign materials that she and her team installed were not provocative or controversial to incite vandalism to this extent.
“These are just my posters that say, ‘Vote for Harapan, vote for me’. How can this provoke them [opposing parties]?”
“The materials that I had set up are basic. I did not install material that would insult or provoke other parties. I condemn these acts of dirty politics. If we [political parties] want to compete, let’s do it in a healthy way,” Yeoh urged.
Yeoh in front of a damaged billboard in TTDI.
Image via Hannah Yeoh (Facebook)
The PH candidate will be checking closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage in the surrounding areas of TTDI to catch those responsible. She said she will also be lodging a police report.
Yeoh wasn’t the only PH candidate to have their posters and banners defaced, Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar also faced the same vandalism in Penang
Nurul Izzah tweeted a picture on 6 November of one of her banners that had several slash marks over her face.
Permatang Pauh’s incumbent called for a stop to hateful actions like these and hopes for a more mature and peaceful political fight.
Ayuh anak muda, kita bina legasi politik matang. Tinggalkan budaya kebencian yang akhirnya pasti merugikan. That’s just not who we are.Walau bunting dikoyak, tetapi semangat tetap kental, InshaaAllah#AyuhMalaysia #DemiPermatangPauh pic.twitter.com/qgNUzYaJQ3
— Nurul Izzah Anwar (@n_izzah) November 6, 2022
You can watch the full video of Yeoh herself explaining the situation below:
Get the latest political updates on SAYS here
Image via SAYS
Read more trending #GE15 news here on SAYS:
Wanna share your opinion on #GE15? Have your say at MyUndi
Image via MyUndi