BUKIT MERTAJAM, 18 Aug 2008: The police said they have not received any application for ceramah permits from Pakatan Rakyat for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election.
Penang police chief Datuk Ayub Yaakob said the Barisan Nasional (BN) had made seven applications for permits to hold ceramah and the police had approved them.
The applications were made on nomination day on 16 Aug. Polling day is 26 Aug.
"I urge [the] opposition parties (Pakatan Rakyat) to apply for permits as those found holding ceramah without permits can be hauled up under Section 27(5) of the Police Act 1967," he told a press conference here.
Offenders could be fined not less than RM2,000 and not more than RM10,000 and jailed one year.
Ayub said since nomination day, the police found that Pakatan Rakyat had held six ceramah without permits in Permatang Pauh and that they were being investigated.
The Permatang Pauh by-election will see a three-corner fight between Datuk
Arif Shah Omar Shah (BN), Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (PKR) and Hanafi Mamat of
Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia.
He said the police would be fair and approve all applications for permits from opposition parties, including those made at the last minute.
Commenting on the beating of two photographers by people wearing PKR T-shirts, he said the police had identified 30 men who could assist in the investigation.
Photographers Mohamed Sairen Mohamed Nafis, 26, of The New Straits Times
Press (NSTP) and Halim Berbar of HBL Press of France were beaten up on nomination day.
Ayub said the police would be distributing photographs of the incident and urged those at the scene to come forward and assist in the investigation. – Bernama
