UMNO will set up a team of lawyers to check for electoral offences by Pakatan Harapan in the run-up to the March 2 Semenyih by-election, said vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said the team will be deployed from nomination day until polling day.

Citing the Cameron Highlands polls last month, Ismail Sabri said PH continued to commit electoral offences despite being exposed by Barisan Nasional and reports lodged with the authorities.

“Looking at the way PH runs things, I believe they do not respect the law. They will do anything they like, as what had happened in Cameron Highlands,” he told a press conference at BN’s operations room for the Semenyih by-election today.

“They paid for fuel after nomination day and we alerted this to the authorities, but they continued to commit offences until voting day. Their candidate wore a shirt with the party symbol at the polling centre.

“Even after their wrongdoings were exposed early on, they continued to use government machinery.”

Cameron Highlands police received 17 reports on electoral offences during the 10-day campaign, including on bribes, ballot papers and a flag-tearing incident in Sg Koyan.

BN candidate Ramli Mohd Nor lodged a report, saying his vehicle was blocked by Deputy Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji.

Ramli said he was verbally abused by Tengku Zulpuri and PH campaigners after BN discovered that they were using a government vehicle to campaign.

Electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 said the Cameron Highlands by-election saw more polls offences committed than during the 14th general election.

It said it recorded 23 offences after nomination on January 12 until polling on January 26, with 14 involving BN, five (PH) and two (PAS).

The offences include giving gifts (four cases), abusing state resources (three), graft and inappropriate influence (two), inciting racial and religious sentiments (four) and campaigning on polling day (nine). – February 13, 2019.