Slim by-election: Amir Khusyairi enters second phase of campaign, Santhasekaran chooses digital platform

Independent candidate, Amir Khusyairi Mohamad Tanusi is entering his second phase of campaigning for the Slim state by-election after touring the whole Slim area.

The 38-year-old lawyer said he is now focusing on reaching the people through house-to-house visit and putting up posters as a follow-up to his earlier round of campaign.

"We can also see colleagues from my machinery have started to cover polling district centres by putting up posters, banners and so on," said Amir Khusyairi, of the yet-to-be registered Parti Pejuang Tanahair (Pejuang).

Amir Khusyairi added, he planned to visit every area around Slim as much as he possibly could.

Another Independent candidate S. Santhasekaran wants to focus on campaigning digitally as there are still concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 44-year-old former teacher said his campaign through social media received assistance from several friends who had produced videos to be uploaded on Facebook and WhatsApp so that the message he wanted to convey could be shared with more voters.

"I also move in small numbers and run the campaign as stipulated with only three people with no posters or flags pasted in the surrounding area," he told reporters while visiting the Slim DUN by-election media centre in Slim River here yesterday.

The Election Commission (EC) stipulates that for house visits during the campaign, candidates or their representatives are not allowed to touch and shake hands with the occupants of the house and candidates are encouraged to maximise the campaign method by using online medium or through social media channels.

Santhasekaran said he did not distribute any pamphlets or put up flags displaying the book logo he had chosen during the campaign to avoid wastage.

Commenting on the campaign journey which entered its fifth day, Santhasekaran said so far he had met voters in the eastern part of Slim area before moving to another area to avoid tensions as he did not want to clash with the two other candidates.

The Slim state seat was left vacant following the death of its four-term assemblyman from Barisan Nasional (BN) Datuk Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib, who died of a heart attack on July 15. The Slim state by-election on Aug 29 will see Amir Khusyairi and Santhasekaran contesting in a three-cornered fight with BN's Mohd Zaidi Aziz, 43. - BERNAMA