Kota Raja PKR branch re-election turns violent, two injured

The re-election process for posts in the Kota Raja PKR branch today turned violent when two men were injured during a quarrel while the voting session was underway.

A witness, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed the 4.15pm incident started after one of the voters was believed to have tried to break the ballot box after casting his vote, angering the candidates' supporters outside the Dewan Klang Jaya, Taman Desawan, who then smashed the gate.

Their action was stopped by the Party Election Committee (JPP) but the situation become more tense when they began to throw chairs at each other.

Two men, believed to be a supporter and a voter, sustained head injuries, resulting in the re-election process being halted thirty minutes earlier than the stipulated time at 5pm.

It is understood that the decision was made by a JPP representative on security grounds while the ballot boxes, which were not damaged in the incident, were brought to the PKR headquarter with police escort for the counting process at 5.30 pm.

Prior to the incident, several of the candidates' supporters had shown their dissatisfaction with the action of one of the candidates, who is also Kota Raja incumbent branch chief Dr Xavier Jayakumar for directing a group of voters to leave the voting hall.

A supporter K. Krishnan, 55, claimed that Xavier, who is also Seri Andalas state assemblyman, tried to abuse his power as an elected represntative.

Meanwhile in NIBONG TEBAL, the same process also saw some commotion when the candidates' supporters argued during the voting process at the Kampung Seri Ampangan Development and Security Committee multi-purpose hall.

The voting process, which began at 10.30am, became tense when the Nibong Tebal incumbent branch chief Datuk Maktar Shapee and another candidate, Mansor Othman, who is also Nibong Tebal Member of Parliament tried to garner the votes of PKR members, who were casting their votes.

The PKR election process in Selangor was being repeated after commotions occurred during the first election process last May 11, which saw 11 out of the 22 branches in the state being made to conduct another election.