KUALA KUBU BARU: A campaign banner that stood out from the Barisan Nasional entourage to the nomination centre for the Hulu Selangor by-election here yesterday was one depicting top leaders of PKR as pigs, Hitler and homosexuals.
The big pictorial banner attracted the attention of many not only because it was so unconventional, but also because it was carried at the forefront of the procession by a BN group believed to be led by Umno Youth leaders.
The BN banner took by surprise many Sabahan and Sarawakian leaders present to give moral support for BN candidate P Kalamanathan.
Several Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) leaders, notably senior vice- presidents Michael Asang and Herbert Timbon Lagadan, were aghast at what they saw. And they were seen immediately registering their unpleasant surprise to Sabah's Umno deputy liaison head Salleh Said Keruak, who then whispered something to Ahmad Shabery Cheek, the consumer and domestic trade minister.
The banner was lowered but only for a while.
Has the Election Commission actually taken a more relaxed stand over banners of this kind?
If this type of banner is continued to be allowed, it would not be long before banners of unimaginable proportions and creativity come up.
Sabah Deputy Speaker Johnny Mositun, who was present as a PBS leader, said he was saddened that such unparliamentary banners were allowed at a nomination process.
"Some people just don't care about other people's feelings. This is not very good, It could be counter-productive..." said Mositun.
One PBS leader was heard saying in Malay "dia orang ini tidak sensitif kah, apa kata orang Cina? Mungkin calon BN pun makan babi, Kenapa pula hina babi..." which loosely means "are these people not sensitive to others' feelings? What would the Chinese say about this? Maybe even the BN candidate takes pork, why look down on a pig..."
The banner in question also depicted the heads of PKR adviser Anwar Ibrahim and the Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim imposed on naked bodies and in an unnaturally intimate position, and also depicted them either as Hitler or homosexual.
Of course, the nomination day saw many other similar "evil" banners, making it more a necessity for the authorities to really look into this "small" matter before it becomes big.
One political observer from Klang, Palaniveloo, 73, suggested that nominations be conducted online, and that there should be no need for elaborate procession with all kinds of posters being carried, "patriotic" songs being played, and dirty words being slung at each other around the nomination centre.
[Source: Luke Rintod/FMT]
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