The Election Commission (EC) is wary of supporters from West Malaysia flocking to the Sibu by-election, and warns them to do as the locals do and avoid dramatising the entire affair.

kuala terengganu parliament by election spr ec announcement 051208 wan ahmad wan omar EC deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar ( right ) said political supporters from the west tend to disregard election rules, a phenomenon that is decidedly absent in the east.

"I have to commend the Sibu municipal council. It is one day before nomination and you don't see even one flag or banner up. In Hulu Selangor, even with one week to nomination day the place was already full of flags and banners."

"The Pakatan Rakyat did it, the Barisan Nasional did it... the local authorities in Semenanjung (the peninsula) simply can't control the situation," he lamented at a press conference at Wisma San Yan in Sibu earlier this morning.

Wan Ahmad reminded visitors to "respect" the way by-elections are run, adding, "I don't think the people of Sibu want to see problems, so please respect the rules."

Wan Ahmad said they expect nomination day tomorrow to be a low-key affair, expecting no more than 5,000 to turn up at the nomination centre at Dewan Suarah.

He assured that there will be no road closures, but said the police will set up roadblocks to screen vehicles going into the area.

"We will issue 100 passes to each candidate so selected party members can enter the nomination centre compound. But as with election rules, only the candidate, proposer and seconder can enter the nomination centre," he said.

‘No offensive materials please'

Wan Ahmad repeated the EC's warnings against putting up offensive campaign material that could incite racial or religious tension, saying the EC will not hesitate to take down the material and may fine perpetrators if the situation persists.

He also reminded all parties that pondok panas (voter information counters) are still illegal on election day and will be closed down immediately if found operating after the campaign period ends.

NONE "We have six election campaign enforcement teams who will monitor the situation and the police will also be very strict on this, so I urge all parties to cooperate with us because there is no point aggravating the situation," he warned.

Wan Ahmad urged candidates to turn up early to avoid any complications tomorrow.

"We don't want a repeat of what we experienced in Hulu Selangor for example, where a candidate was making so much noise outside saying the police didn't let him in, but it only happened because he came at the last minute.

"Of course the police will stop people, because they want to make sure those going into the nomination centre are genuine. We've had people in the past who were not serious (about candicacy), going into the nomination centre but not handing in their nomination papers."

"So please come on time. The EC will be fair," he said, pointing out that both Barisan and Pakatan have won elections in the past "because it is the rakyat who chooses them."