A short commotion broke between PKR leaders and a 30-member team of enforcement officers from the Election Commission (EC) which removed over 30 banners and three billboards at Sungai Chua, Kajang.

The two groups argued for about 30 minutes at 4.30pm today when the EC officers claimed several banners had carried provocative words.

Several party supporters and locals were seen obstructing the enforcement team by standing in front of the banners.

At the same time, PKR campaign team representative K. Anantha Kannan negotiated with one of their leaders, trying to get them to stop.

"Which banner is provocative? They did not inform us in advance," he told Malaysiakini .

Anantha Kannan said the EC officers then pointed out a banner bearing photograph of PKR candidate Wan Azizah Wan Ismail shedding tears and the phrase of 'you'll never walk alone'.

More than 50 onlookers were spotted during the standoff that was under surveillance by more than 20 policemen.

PKR elected representatives who were present included Alor Setar MP Gooi Hsiao Leung, state assemblyperson Ong Chin Wen (Bukit Tengah), Gan Pei Nei (Rawang) and assemblypersons Ong Chin Wen and Chua Yee Ling (Kuala Sepetang).

Gooi, who is a practicing lawyer, questioned how the support showed by Wan Azizah for her husband Anwar Ibrahim would commit an offence of provocation and sedition.

“The EC can’t present convincing reasons, and we are not compromising,” he stressed.

According to the election law, Gooi said, the EC was supposed to inform both observers from contesting parties before removing election materials.

To this, Anatha Kanna, who is also PKR observer for Kajang by-election, professed ignorance over the early notification, and said he would lodge a complaint to the local council and the EC officially.

After a round of argument, the commission’s enforcement team as well as the police left at about 5.30pm, without giving any instructions to those involved.