NIBONG TEBAL: The candidates of the Sungai Bakap state seat by-election bumped into each other during their respective walkabouts at the Puteri Gunong night market here today.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Dr Joohari Ariffin and Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Abidin Ismail were both at the market courting for votes from locals when they realised each other's presence at around 6pm, prompting them to take a brief moment to shake hands and take photos together before continuing to campaign.
Joohari said it was fun to have bumped into his rival, who had his PN machinery in tow, sharing that it was a new experience for him.
"We're okay about it, we're friends and competing in a healthy manner. When we met, I told him we should focus on community issues without needing to resort to provocative issues," he said.
Abidin meanwhile said that it was quite unexpected to bump into his PH rival, seeing it as something positive, adding that the public, especially the Chinese and Indians, had received him rather warmly throughout his time campaigning so far.
He also shared that the issues he kept on hearing about while campaigning were about pests, especially flies, and promised to bring this up with the authorities if he was elected.
Joohari and Abidin are in a straight fight for the Sungai Bakap state seat following the death of assemblyman Nor Zamri Latiff on May 24 due to stomach inflammation.
The Election Commission has set a 14-day campaigning period with polling day being on July 6.
There are 39,279 registered voters - 39,222 ordinary voters and 57 postal voters - for this by-election. — BERNAMA