KLUANG: The police have received six reports with four investigation papers opened during the campaign period for the Mahkota by-election from Sept 14 until today.
Johor police chief Datuk M. Kumar said the investigations involved Section 4a of the Election Offences Act 1954/Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998; Section 504 of the Penal Code/Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998; Section 500 of the Penal Code/Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and Section 4a of the Election Offences Act 1954.
"The police is committed to ensuring that every report is thoroughly investigated and that appropriate action is taken to maintain the integrity of the election process and public safety," he told a press conference after a special briefing for Mahkota by-election at Sekolah Menengah Sains Sembrong here today.
When asked to clarify whether the investigation involved Barisan Nasional or Perikatan Nasional, Kumar said the investigation is still ongoing.
"Please give the police the time and space needed to conduct their investigation," he said.
Meanwhile, he said the police approved a total of 166 permit applications, with 47 for ceramah or political talks, 78 for mobile campaigns, and 41 for walkabouts.
"Each application underwent a thorough evaluation process, and so far, no application has been rejected," he added.
Present was Kluang district police chief Assistant Commissioner Bahrin Mohd Noh.
In a similar development, Kumar said a total of 1,399 policemen will be on duty to ensure security at 20 polling stations during the Mahkota by-election tomorrow.
He said they would be assigned to strategic locations that often experience high activity, congestion, and potential threats to public safety.
"One personnel will be stationed at each polling station, while another 10 will be assigned to monitor the situation within a 50m radius of the polling stations, along with traffic police and Op Cantas," he said.
He said all safety measures have been taken to ensure that the voters can exercise their rights and responsibilities in a safe environment tomorrow.
"Furthermore, if there are any areas affected by flooding, immediate assistance will be provided to ensure that the voting process runs smoothly and without any obstacles," he said.
The Mahkota (N29) seat is a one-on-one contest between BN candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah and PN candidate Mohamad Haizan Jaafar.
Mahkota, located within the Kluang parliamentary constituency, has 66,318 registered voters.
The by-election was called following the death of its assemblyman Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, 63, on Aug 2.