BARISAN Nasional (BN) will appeal to Putrajaya to review the ban on gatherings during the run-up to the Malacca state elections, which is enforced to curb the spread of Covid-19, former state assembly speaker Ab Rauf Yusoh said today.

He said it does not make sense not to allow physical campaigning when all the other activities are allowed and restrictions eased.

“We will appeal to the government to relax the conditions so that we can campaign according to the new and relaxed conditions determined by the authorities,” he said.

“What’s the point of coming to Malacca if you’re going to end up being locked up at home?

“Interstate travel is allowed, prayers at mosques are allowed, social gathering are allowed but not campaigning,” the Malacca Umno liaison chief said at the launch of BN’s election machinery for the state elections.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has announced that all physical gatherings and social events related to the upcoming Malacca elections are banned from October 25 to November 27.

Citing a need to reduce the risk of new Covid-19 infections, Khairy said the ban includes functions to launch election machinery of the various parties.

Rauf also blamed DAP for the collapse of the BN state government, which led to the upcoming elections.

He said DAP played out incumbent Sg Udang assemblyman Idris Harun after the latter had successfully toppled the state government.

He said the former Umno assemblyman wanted to be the next Malacca chief minister but things did not go according to plan when the DAP central leadership rejected the proposal for Idris to head the state government again.

“Sg Udang was played out by DAP after they got what they wanted.

“He caused the state government to fall but failed to come back as the chief minister,” Rauf said, describing Idris as being greedy for power.

He said while the Umno-led Malacca government was brought down by their own members, the incident could have been avoided if the move was not supported by Pakatan Harapan. – October 27, 2021.