Candidates have breakfast four times daily in new normal campaigning

MELAKA: The strict standard operating procedure (SOP) for the Melaka state election has provided interesting experiences to candidates, including having breakfast up to four times a day.

Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate for Tanjung Bidara, Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, said having breakfast with voters is one of the ways to meet people because public gatherings are not allowed in the campaigns.

Pakatan Harapan (PH) Pantai Kundor candidate Nor Azman Hasan also adopted the same approach to meet people in his constituency.

"The situation this time is unique because the EC (Election Commission) has set strict SOP, and we must observe it for the benefit of the people.

"To address the people's problems, we have to have breakfast up to four times, I also attend kenduri (feast), mosque events and funerals to reach out to voters," he said when interviewed via the Zoom application in Bernama TV's Ruang Bicara programme last night.

Also present was Pengkalan Batu Independent candidate Datuk Norhizam Hassan Baktee.

Mas Ermieyati said the strict SOP forces her to be creative by using all platforms to reach as many voters as possible, including through social media as well as waving at voters while riding pillion on a motorcycle.

"I received a warm welcome from voters," she said.

For Norhizam, this state election was unusual in the sense that candidates cannot meet people in groups to campaign.

"But I don't have a problem because I have served in my constituency for three years and the voters know me," he said.

The EC has banned the holding of ceramah, lectures and physical campaigns to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Mas Ermieyati is up against Barisan Nasional's (BN) Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh and Pakatan Harapan's Zainal Hassan in the election.

Nor Azman is facing PN's Mohamad Ridzwan Mustafa and BN's Tuminah Kadi @ Mohd Hashim while Norhizam is involved in a five-cornered fight with Muhamad Danish Zainudin of PH, Mohd Azrudin Md Idris of PN, Dr Mohd Aluwi Sari of Putra and Datuk Kalsom Nordin of BN.

Early voting is on Nov 16 and polling is on Nov 20 for the election, which was called following the dissolution of the state assembly on Oct 4 after four state assemblymen withdrew support for the Chief Minister.

-- BERNAMA