INCUMBENT Bagan Dalam state assemblyman Satees Muniandy who is contesting the Penang state poll as an independent candidate has lodged a police report claiming he was heckled and threatened by Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Kumaran Krishnan and a few of the latter’s friends.
In the incident that occurred at polling station SK Sg Nyio, at 2.45pm. the former DAP-PH state assemblyman claimed that Kumaran who happens to replace his as the DAP-PH candidate for the Bagan Dalan seat “has brought along seven to eight accomplices to threaten and curse at him”.
“They said that independent candidates are ‘insignificant’,” Satees clarified the incident on his Facebook page.
“I was only there to inspect the ballot boxes … we just want to make sure that all ballot boxes were completely sealed. I don’t want the voting process to be suspended like what happened in the Paya Terubong state constituency this morning. Is that wrong?”
For the record, Satees had quit DAP on July 28 to contest as an independent after 15 years with the party after he was not selected by the party to defend his Bagan Dalam seat for a second term in today’s state election.
Elaborating on the incident, the 38-year-old former Seberang Perai Municipal Council member further claimed in his police report that two of Kumaran’s siblings whom he identified as Viswa and Thurairaj had also verbally assaulted him.
“The PH candidate has brought a group of men who had no passes into the polling centre and all of them started scolding and threatening me. Kumaran even called me for a one-to-one fight,” Satees pointed out.
“But when I only smiled and told them to do whatever they wish to, they went on to threaten me further by reminding me to watch out tomorrow.”
According to Satees, the group also scolded a female guard who addressed him as “YB” (Yang Berhormat).
“As my agent and I walked out of the school gate, a group of at least eight men surrounded us and heckled and threatened us. I feel threatened by this episode and I’m lodging this report as I fear for my safety,” he added.
Meanwhile, a ballot box in a polling station in Paya Terubong was found to be unsealed, thus prompting vote casting for that stream to be halted.
A total of 177 ballot papers were already cast into the box when Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Ooi Ghee Oon discovered the unsealed ballot box in SK Seri Relau.
Sin Chew Daily reported that Ooi declared he would not recognise any of the ballots in that box as valid votes and asked for Election Commission (EC) to suspend voting for that stream which was to have 719 voters. – Aug 12, 2023
