Election candidates contesting in Malaysia’s upcoming general election need to apply for ‘walkabout permits’ throughout the campaign period.
However, they only need to apply once for the area they are contesting in.
In a statement sent out to a select group of media organisations, Bukit Aman’s GE15 operations director, Datuk Seri Hazani Ghazali said that the requirement for the permits for walkabouts was in line with Section 24B (3) of the Election Offences Act.
The requirement under the Act states that candidates must apply for a permit each time they hold, convene or organise any open public meeting, open public rally, open public display, or open public entertainment.
Candidates said it was the norm in the past to apply for permits for ceramah (public talks) but not for walkabouts.
The matter was first highlighted by Twentytwo13 on Nov 8. Candidates had also informed this news organisation that they had to provide local police with their daily activity schedules.
Twentytwo13 had reached out to Federal police regarding the matter on the same day.
Hazani, in his statement this evening, said: “For walkabouts, permits need only to be applied for once throughout the election period, during the campaign period, in a parliamentary or state constituency where the candidate is contesting.”
“If the area involves two or more police districts, then the application must be made at either one of the district police headquarters concerned.”
Hazani added that the application for the permits was to enable police to “ensure that the election candidates carry out their election campaigns smoothly.”
He also added that candidates must take steps to ensure there were no incidents, confrontations or any form of provocation (verbal or physical) during the walkabouts.
