GE15: Pas builds military tank replica as symbol of 'defending the fortress' in Kemaman

CHUKAI: Apart of joining the usual flag and poster war in conjunction with the 15th general election (GE15), the Pas machinery has also built a replica of a military tank as a symbolic gesture to represent "defending the fortress" of the Kemaman parliamentary seat in the GE15 being contested by its candidate.

Erected in Kampung Geliga, Kemaman, the replica measuring four metres (m) long and about 1.8 m wide was built using easily available materials such as plywood, iron, basins, used tyres, plastic plates, PVC pipes, ropes and nets.

Batu Geliga 3 Pas Youth deputy head, Mohd Faisal Ayub said a total of six Pas personnel were involved in building this replica which took nearly two weeks to complete.

"The inspiration to build the tank was conceived during this general election period. So, we came out with a blueprint of the tank, and started to install the iron framework of the tank on a car," he said when met in Kampung Geliga.

Used tyres and plastic plates were used as tyres for the tank, with green fishing nets as mirrors, while PVC pipes were used as cannons.

Mohd Faisal said the cost to build this replica was RM2,170 as materials such as 13 pieces of plywood and iron were relatively expensive components to purchase.

"In GE14, we built a replica of a lorry with a rocket launcher attached to the roof. The replica of the lorry was also the same as this tank replica, having 'combat' characteristics," he said, adding that the purpose of building the replica was to enliven the mood of the election campaign.

For GE15, the Kemaman parliamentary constituency has 139,423 eligible voters to cast their votes on Saturday (Nov 19). The seat will see a four-cornered fight involving the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Datuk Seri Ahmad Said, Che Alias Hamid (Pas), Hasuni Sudin (Pakatan Harapan) and Rosli Ab Ghani (Pejuang).

Also attracting attention in Kemaman is the replica of the 'dacing' (weighing scale) built by BN Youth using blue light-emitting diode (LED) lights that illuminate the grounds of Chukai Market, Kemaman, at night.

Hasifullah Mohd@Arsad, 34, who led the construction of the dacing with his three friends, said the replica measuring about three metres wide and about 1.8 m high took about three days to complete.

"We produced this replica as an attraction for young people in the city, at night, as this dacing replica really steals the spotlight with its blue lights. The inspiration for this replica was taken from the BN's logo itself, which is the dacing," he added.

-- BERNAMA