Terengganu voter lodges bribery report against BN candidate's free engine oil offer

A voter in Terengganu has lodged a police report against Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for Ladang, Mohd Sabri Alwi, over an attempt to bribe voters while campaigning for the state election.

Mohd Hilmi Jusoh, a voter in the Ladang constituency, cited a programme to distribute free engine oil to motorcycle riders at the Ladang Gemilang Apartment complex on Friday.

He said the report was made because he felt the campaign process was one-sided, adding that Sabri had violated campaign rules set by the Election Commission (EC).

"I believe that the programme had elements of bribery, and it clearly violates the EC regulations under Sections 8, 9, and 10. There were evident handouts by the said candidate," he told reporters at the Kuala Terengganu police headquarters.

MalaysiaNow attempted to reach Sabri for an explanation but was informed that he would issue a statement on the issue tomorrow.

Hilmi said the issue of bribing voters was raised by BN in their petition filed against Perikatan Nasional over the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary election results last year.

The petition alleged that the PAS campaign contained elements of bribery, citing a state government assistance programme.

The Terengganu Election Court ruled in favour of the petition and nullified the victory of PAS' Ahmad Amzad Hashim, with the seat going for a by-election alongside the state polls on Aug 12.

"We see other parties adhering to these regulations. Why can't BN do the same, especially since they were the ones who presented the petition that led to a by-election in Kuala Terengganu?" Hilmi asked.

Hilmi said his action was not because of his political leanings.

"I'm not a supporter of any particular party; I'm making this report based on my rights as a voter. And as a voter, I find this to be extremely unfair," he added.

The Elections Offences Act 1954 provisions cover all forms of corruption: treating (Section 8), undue influence (Section 9), and bribery (Section 10) during and after the election.

Meanwhile, "vote buying", either directly or indirectly, such as giving or offering money, gifts, jobs, or loans during the election process or promises of such after the election, falls under the provisions of Section 10.

Offenders can be jailed, fined, or disqualified as elected representatives in addition to losing their voting rights.