KUALA KUBU BARU: Perikatan Nasional (PN) said it will file an election petition if Pakatan Harapan (PH) wins the upcoming Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election slated for May 11.

Pas secretary general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, who is also the opposition chief whip, claimed it has evidence of government misconduct which could allegedly sway voters in the polls.

Takiyuddin cited the election petitions filed in Terengganu, Kelantan and Melaka following the 15th General Election.

"The Election Court had ruled that the distribution of aid by the government in electoral areas to voters counts as bribery.

"Therefore, the decisions in the Kuala Terengganu and Kemaman parliamentary seats were annulled. This was because the state government, which had not yet been dissolved at the time, was fulfilling its responsibility to provide aid to the people of Terengganu based on the (state) budget.

"The Election Court nevertheless still ruled it as electoral bribery. So, we see plenty of evidence of the distribution and misuse of government machinery and gifts, which to us constitutes a form of electoral bribery," he said after attending the Perikatan Nasional manifesto announcement, here today.

On April 18, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga had announced an allocation of RM5.21 million from his ministry for Hulu Selangor residents to be used for infrastructure projects in the area.

The announcement has since received criticism from several quarters, including electoral watchdog Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) and Muar member of parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who had questioned the need for the allocation following the by-election in KKB.

Following this, DAP Selangor reiterated its stance that the announcement was not wrong and is a common practice.

"If fate dictates that PH should win (in Kuala Kubu Baharu), we will file an election petition. That is certain with cases such as in Kuala Terengganu and Kemaman. We will utilise that provision.

"We have evidence of violations through videos and records, among other things. We have gathered this evidence.

"If PH wins, we will certainly file an election petition later," he said.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/politics/2024/05/1047112/takiyuddin-pn-will-file-election-petition-if-ph-wins-kkb