Indie candidate takes a crack at Tg Piai without campaigning, saves RM5k
TG PIAI POLLS | Independent candidate Ang Chuan Lock, who is contesting under the key logo, is planning to try his luck in the Tanjung Piai by-election without campaigning.
Ang said he had paid the RM10,000 deposit for his nomination as a candidate but does not intend to fork out the additional RM5,000 campaign deposit.
The RM5,000 is a condition set by the Election Commission to ensure candidates clean up their campaign material after the election, failing which the deposit will be forfeited...
TG PIAI POLLS | Independent candidate Ang Chuan Lock, who is contesting under the key logo, is planning to try his luck in the Tanjung Piai by-election without campaigning.
Ang said he had paid the RM10,000 deposit for his nomination as a candidate but does not intend to fork out the additional RM5,000 campaign deposit.
The RM5,000 is a condition set by the Election Commission to ensure candidates clean up their campaign material after the election, failing which the deposit will be forfeited.
However, Ang said it was not necessary as he didn't plan to campaign.
"There is an RM10,000 nomination deposit - that I have paid. As for the RM5,000 campaign deposit for the Election Commission, I have not paid it.
"... The other day, I told the EC officer that I have no intention to campaign and he said if I won't be campaigning then there is no need to pay," he told journalists in Pontian today.
The parliamentary seats of Tanjung Piai and Pontian come under the Pontian district.
For Ang to keep his nomination deposit of RM10,000, he will need to garner at least one-eighth of the total votes cast on polling day, which will be on Nov 16.
The father of two, who is a local Pontian resident, has a PhD in marketing communication from Universiti Malaya and has a chain of tuition centres in Johor and Malacca.
While Ang won't be campaigning on the ground, he said he will be utilising social media to spread his message.
"I will be using Facebook to advertise and convey my message. I only have an RM1,000 budget," he said.
He said it was a more efficient method. However, at writing time, Ang (above, centre) has not made any public Facebook post since campaigning for the by-election began on Nov 3.
However, later in the evening, Malaysiakini spotted Ang at an MCA ceramah at a commercial area along Jalan Johor in Pontian.
When asked about his presence, Ang said it was a coincidence as his home was nearby.
He added that while he initially decided not to campaign, at the urging of family and friends, he had decided to meet and greet people.
"Before this, actually I was not going to visit any residents but some of my friends told me that there should be a chance to meet.... so that's why I'm here.
"My house is quite near... I didn't know MCA also has this (ceramah)," he said.
Ang, who met the residents empty-handed, said the feedback has been good.
"Pontian is not a big place, it's a small town. I think they know me," he said.
Apart from Ang, the other independent candidate is Faridah Aryani Abdul Ghaffar, who is contesting under a car logo.
The other four candidates are backed by parties, namely Bersatu's Karmaine Sardini, MCA's Wee Jeck Seng, Berjasa's Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz and Gerakan's Wendy Subramaniam.
The Tanjung Piai by-election was called after its Bersatu MP Md Farid Md Rafik passed away from a heart attack in September.
In the last general election, Farid garnered 21,255 votes against Wee, who received 20,731 votes, winning by a 524-vote margin.
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