MORE than 200 Pakatan Harapan (PH) flags put up along a path in Kampung Parit Kuari, near Ayer Hitam, Kluang, have been removed and dumped into a ditch, believed to have been done by some irresponsible people.

PH’s candidate for the Ayer Hitam parliamentary seat, Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali, in a post on his Facebook, said party workers who planted the flags realised what had happened at about 8am yesterday, after only six hours they were put up.

“We are disappointed with this kind of gangster politics and condemn any party that uses dirty tactics in the elections,” he said.

“This attitude smears democracy, which allows political parties to campaign healthily and in accordance with the rules set by the Election Commission and the authorities.”

The Johor DAP vice-chairman also instructed election workers not to take any retaliatory action that contravene election laws.

“We will continue to fight and campaign ethically. We will also work hard to ensure PH’s victory in Ayer Hitam,” he said.

Meanwhile, Batu Pahat district police chief Ismail Dollah, when contacted today, said police have not yet received any reports regarding incidents of political party flags being removed or thrown away.

The Ayer Hitam seat is seeing a three-cornered fight involving incumbent Wee Ka Siong from Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional’s Muhammad Syafiq A. Aziz and Sheikh Umar.

In the 2018 polls, Wee won the seat by a narrow majority of 303 votes. – Bernama, November 8, 2022.