Pakatan Rakyat campaigners were barred from entering Sime Darby’s Kempas Estate in Merlimau today, with auxiliary police citing instructions from “headquarters”.

However, the estate manager, Abdul Aziz Jamal, said when contacted that there was no such instruction from the company’s headquarters.

"There is no directive on this matter. But they have to follow our strict regulations for visitors and obtain permission from (the) estate management," he said in a text-message.

Abdul Aziz said permission was required from his superiors "to ensure (that) security and safety (are) not compromised".

NONE PKR’s Port Dickson assemblyperson M Ravi said he went to the guardhouse about 11.30am to inform them that campaigners from the party would be coming by in the afternoon, but was told they were not welcome.

"A sergeant, who did not want to identify himself, said we could not enter and that he had instructions from the headquarters to stop us from today. He also refused to let us in to talk to the manager, saying the manager was busy," Ravi said.

He also claimed that others from Pakatan Rakyat have had problems with entering other Sime Darby estates in the area, although PAS campaigners were not obstructed from doing so two days ago.

One auxiliary police personnel at Kempas Estate told Malaysiakini that he received orders from his "superiors" to bar visitors from entering the estate, while another said the directive was from the "headquarters".

This is not the first time Pakatan has been barred from entering the estates, with MIC supporters having aggressively shown them out during the Tenang by-election.

EC’s hands ‘tied’

PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub said the party had made a complaint to the Election Commission (EC) on the matter.

However, it was told that the EC could no hatta ramli 070708 t do anything because the matter involved private land.

Kuala Krai MP Mohd Hatta Ramli (right) , who was with Ravi, said barring Pakatan from meeting the 160 voters in Kempas Estate was absurd.

"The media is reporting that BN has nothing to fear in this stronghold of theirs, so why worry about 160 voters? BN should not be afraid. We are both campaigning," Hatta added.