EC: PKR and DAP cannot display party symbols

JASIN: Only PAS from the opposition coalition is allowed to display its party symbol in the simultaneous by-elections in Kerdau and Merlimau, said Election Comm­ission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof. Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and DAP would be barred from doing so as the two political parties and PAS were not registered as a coalition, unlike the component parties under Barisan Nasional, he added. Abdul Aziz said that in both the by-elections, PAS was the contesting party, and therefore only its would be allowed to be displayed. “The decision was reached after we found that three component parties in the opposition have not registered as one entity; but Barisan has done so,” he told reporters after checking the EC’s preparation for the Merlimau by-election here yesterday. However, PKR and DAP were allowed to exhibit the picture of their respective leaders in posters, flags and buntings during the campaigning period. “We are okay if pictures or portraits of opposition party leaders are displayed. The non-contesting parties’ symbols are totally disallowed,” he said. On another matter, Abdul Aziz said that pledges to voters made by the Prime Minister, mentris besar and chief ministers during election campaigns should not be translated as an attempt at vote rigging or a breach of the Election Act. He explained that some of these pledges made during general or by-elections were based on the allocations set by the Federal and state governments under their respective budgets. “Furthermore, mentris besar and chief ministers in opposition-controlled states also make the same pledges during elections,” he added