Election Commission reports 472 minor offences during Sabah polls campaign, including unauthorised ceramah and damaged party flags, with four arrests made.
TAWAU: The Election Commission has received 472 reports of minor offences committed during the Sabah state election campaign period.
EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun confirmed the offences involved campaign materials and unauthorised political ceramah.
“This matter is on our radar, and the necessary actions will be taken,” he told reporters after inspecting the early voting centre at Tawau Police Headquarters.
Ramlan urged voters not to photograph their ballot papers or share images on social media.
Officers will monitor polling stations to prevent voters from taking photos while marking ballots.
The EC has provided designated areas for voters to leave phones before entering polling halls.
Ramlan also confirmed the commission’s readiness to handle potential flooding on polling day.
Standard operating procedures include coordination with disaster management committees at district and state levels.
Tawau police chief ACP Jasmin Hussin reported four arrests and five investigation papers from seven election-related reports in the district.
The individuals were arrested for damaging party flags and making defamatory statements on social media.
Three investigation papers involve Section 427 of the Penal Code for mischief.
One case falls under Section 379 of the Penal Code, while another is being investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act.
Jasmin advised voters to comply with regulations to avoid incidents during voting.
At Tawau Police Headquarters, 596 of 750 police personnel had completed early voting by 2 pm.
The Sabah state election polling occurs this Saturday with 1.76 million regular voters eligible.
