PD POLLS DAY 1 | With the nomination period over and a total of seven candidates announced for the Port Dickson by-election this morning, things appear to be slowing down for the rest of the day.

Candidates are expected to hit the campaign trail starting tonight. 

Harapan candidate Anwar Ibrahim will attend a high tea event at a Sikh gurdwara at Sri Tanjung before two ceramah at night in the BN-held state constituencies of Linggi and Bagan Pinang respectively.

Malaysiakini brings you live reports of the campaigning on the ground.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

  • 'Wan Azizah used private car'
  • Anwar, Isa to hold events a stone's throw apart
  • Empty chairs greet Harapan's first ceramah
  • 'I'm not part of the opposition,' Isa tells crowd
  • 'Felda won't affect my chances of winning'
  • Look beyond succession plan, Anwar tells PD voters
  • 'Who knows, maybe this will become my home'

12am: Thank you for following our live updates of day one of the Port Dickson by-election campaign. This thread is now closed.

'Who knows, maybe this will become my family home'

11pm, Medan Selera Bagan Pinang - Less than a kilometre away from Kampung Bagan Pinang, Pakatan Harapan candidate Anwar Ibrahim is speaking to a crowd of about 300 people.

“Who knows, maybe Bagan Pinang will be my family home. Insya Allah, if I win.

“I will go to the mosques here, I will go to local places here like I did in Permatang Pauh,” he quips.

Anwar also assures that he will not overlook the issues of veterans, even though he is not a veteran himself.

There were concerns that without former Port Dickson MP, the retired admiral Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, the issues of veterans would be cast aside.

At one point, he brings up the issue of the LGBT community, insisting that same-sex marriage cannot be accepted in Malaysia at all.

“People are angry, saying that Anwar is against LGBT, but I’m saying, whatever they want to do in their room, it’s their issue.

“But how can they ask us to accept it in public? When it comes to marriage, in every religion, it has to be between a man and a woman.

“Do not ask us to accept something that is against our religion,” he added.

Look beyond succession plan, Anwar tells PD voters

10pm, Kelab Sukan Pasir Panjang - Anwar Ibrahim arrives, and the atmosphere heats up with 250 people present.

Despite Pakatan Harapan portraying the Port Dickson by-election as just a piece in the succession plan for him to become prime minister, Anwar tells voters to look beyond that.  

"I don't want my friends here to only remember me as the prime minister, but I wish to be the MP for Port Dickson.

"This means that even though I have to take care of the country, I also need to take care of the constituency."

Anwar reiterates his plan to develop Port Dickson as a tourism hub for domestic visitors from Johor, Malacca, and the Klang Valley.

He also said he will never forget the support he has received from his old constituency of Permatang Pauh over the years.

"Some Permatang Pauh voters said 'We already take care of you. Why didn't you come back here if you want to return to Parliament?'

"I told them, even though I will take care of Port Dickson, I will never forget Permatang Pauh, which has taken care of me for a long time."

'Felda won't affect my chances of winning'

10pm, Kampung Bagan Pinang - Former Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Mohd Isa Abdul Samad is unconcerned that the Felda scandals would be a blight on his chances in the Port Dickson by-election.

As the former Felda chairperson, he was investigated by the MACC over the purchase of two hotels by the Felda Investment Corporation (FIC).

As he pointed out, however, the investigation has produced nothing this far.

“Regarding MACC, until now nothing has happened. It is up to the people of Port Dickson, they know who I am.

“Maybe there are a few who would not like me, but we cannot be liked by everyone,” he said.

As the Umno general assembly is taking place this weekend, he was also asked whether he misses it.

“No, I am used to being suspended. (Former Umno president) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi suspended me for three years, it is nothing to me,” he said.

'I'm not part of the opposition,' Isa tells crowd

9.50pm, Kampung Bagan Pinang - Former Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Mohd Isa Abdul Samad arrives at the home of a supporter for a ceramah kelompok with the residents of the village.

A small crowd of 20 people are seated outside the home, with Isa greeting each one personally.

In his speech, he explains his decision to contest in the Port Dickson by-election.

“I know many of you have wanted me to contest here for a while now.

“Now the seat is empty,” he said.

Isa also tells them that him contesting as an independent does not mean he is part of the opposition.

The crowd claps, with some in the group shouting that they hope he wins in the by-election.

Empty chairs greet Harapan's first ceramah

9.30pm, Kelab Sukan Pasir Panjang - Pakatan Harapan's first ceramah after the nomination earlier today looks to be drawing a lukewarm response from voters in the Pasir Panjang polling district.

Of the 500 red chairs set for the event, only 150 are filled.

The makeup of the crowd is mixed, with most attendees being Malay and Chinese. 

Though the event was scheduled to start at 9.30pm, Harapan candidate Anwar Ibrahim is yet to make an appearance.

In GE14, PKR narrowly won the polling district by 922 votes, against BN's 803 and PAS' 180.

Anwar, Isa to hold events a stone's throw apart

6.50pm, Bagan Pinang - Both PKR president-elect Anwar Ibrahim and former Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Mohd Isa Samad will be heading to Kampung Bagan Pinang tonight.

PKR president-elect Anwar Ibrahim will be hosting a ceramah at the local food court, while Isa will be holding his event less than 1km away at a local resident's home.

PKR narrowly won the Kampung Bagan Pinang polling district in the last general election, garnering 832 votes to BN's 783 votes and PAS' 459 votes.

However, PKR lost at the state level – the Bagan Pinang seat – to BN's Hairudin Abu Bakar by 1.935 votes.

Bagan Pinang is one of five state seats in the Port Dickson parliamentary constituency.

In the last general election, PKR also lost the Linggi state seat, but emerged victorious in Chuah, Lukut and Sri Tanjung.

'Wan Azizah used private car'

5pm, Gurdwara Sahib Port Dickson - Harapan candidate Anwar Ibrahim says his wife and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail used a private car to accompany him to the nomination centre this morning.

This, Anwar said, is to prevent abuse of government machinery.

"I am the first Port Dickson candidate who says no government machinery will be involved (in my campaign). Some people asked me, was Wan Azizah here? 

"Yes, but she took a private car," he told 200 people here.

However, Anwar says it is inevitable that police outriders would accompany Wan Azizah as the sitting deputy prime minister had to be provided with security.

He jokes that with his promise not to abuse government machinery, it would be difficult for him to announce an allocation for Gurdwara Sahib.

But Anwar throws the question to the crowd, asking whether they supported him because he could "offer you some money now", or because they believed he could provide services for the community.

The crowd gives him a round of applause.