Campaign ‘flag war’ begins in Melaka as parties stretch limited election budgets

MELAKA, Nov 1 — The excitement surrounding the 16th Melaka State Election is beginning to build, with a “flag war” among political parties visible along roadsides and in public hotspots following the completion of the nomination process yesterday.

A Bernama survey today found that political party flags had been put up in urban areas such as Kota Laksamana, Banda Hilir, Semabok, Duyong, Bukit Katil and Ayer Molek, featuring flags of Pakatan Harapan (PH), Barisan Nasional (BN), Perikatan Nasional (PN), Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).

Several political parties are reusing flags from previous state elections in Johor and Negeri Sembilan for the Melaka polls.

Melaka DAP chairman Khoo Poay Tiong said most of the flags were still in good condition, making their reuse a cost-saving measure to reduce expenses for the Melaka state election.

“We do not have a lot of financial resources, but putting up campaign materials such as flags, posters and banners is important to inform voters in a particular area that PH is contesting there.

“These campaign materials are also intended to introduce to voters the candidates representing PH… the main purpose is to convey that message, rather than compete over who puts up the most flags,” he told Bernama today.

He said the installation of PH flags, particularly in areas contested by DAP, was being carried out in stages, especially at locations frequented by the public.

He said about 2,000 flags would be put up in each state constituency contested by the party, with the number to be increased if necessary.

“We will also put up billboards and buntings. We started after the nomination process ended yesterday, and the work is still ongoing. The installation of billboards and buntings will be based on polling district areas and according to need,” he said.

Meanwhile, BN candidate for the Duyong state seat Datuk Mohd Noor Helmy Abdul Halem said the flags displayed around the constituency had also been obtained from friends in Negeri Sembilan and Johor, where the respective state elections had concluded.

“Since Melaka is the third state to hold a state election, we are using whatever flags are available, as our budget is not large,” he said.

He said the installation of flags in the Duyong constituency was still being carried out in stages and was expected to be completed within the next two or three days.

A total of 79 candidates will contest 28 state seats in the 16th Melaka state election following the close of nominations yesterday.

Early voting is scheduled for November 10, while polling day will be held on November 14.

For the latest news on the 16th Melaka state election, visit the Bernama Melaka State Election Portal. — Bernama

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马六甲，11月1日讯——随着昨天提名程序的结束，第16届马六甲州选举的气氛开始升温，各政党之间的“旗帜大战”在路边和公共热点地区随处可见。

马新社今天的一项调查发现，在哥打拉克萨马纳、班达希里尔、实玛博、杜勇、武吉卡迪尔和亚逸莫力等城市地区都悬挂了政党旗帜，其中包括希望联盟（PH）、国阵（BN）、国民联盟（PN）、马来西亚团结党（Bersama）和马来西亚土团党（Bersatu）的旗帜。

一些政党在马六甲州选举中重新使用了柔佛州和森美兰州以往州选举的旗帜。

马六甲民主行动党主席邱培忠表示，大部分旗帜状况良好，重新使用可以节省成本，减少马六甲州选举的开支。

“我们没有很多财政资源，但是张贴旗帜、海报和横幅等竞选材料对于告知特定地区的选民希望联盟正在那里参选非常重要。”

“这些竞选材料也是为了向选民介绍代表希望联盟的候选人……主要目的是传达这一信息，而不是比谁挂的旗帜最多，”他今天告诉马新社。

他表示，希望联盟旗帜的悬挂工作，尤其是在民主行动党争夺的地区，是分阶段进行的，尤其是在公众经常光顾的地点。

他表示，该党将在其参选的每个州选区竖立约 2000 面旗帜，如有必要，数量还会增加。

“我们还会竖立广告牌和彩旗。提名程序昨天结束后，我们就开始了这项工作，目前仍在进行中。广告牌和彩旗的安装将根据投票区划分，并视实际需要而定。”他说道。

与此同时，国阵候选人拿督莫哈末诺赫尔米阿卜杜勒哈勒姆表示，选区内展示的旗帜也是从森美兰州和柔佛州的朋友那里获得的，这两个州的州选举已经结束。

他说：“由于马六甲是第三个举行州选举的州属，我们的预算有限，所以只能使用现有的旗帜。”

他表示，杜永选区的升旗工作仍在分阶段进行，预计将在未来两三天内完成。

昨天提名结束后，共有 79 名候选人将角逐第 16 届马六甲州选举的 28 个州议席。

提前投票定于11月10日举行，正式投票日为11月14日。

欲了解第16届马六甲州选举的最新消息，请访问马新社马六甲州选举门户网站。——马新社

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国阵寄希望于凭借五年政绩赢得马六甲州选举中的摇摆选民。

马六甲州选举：马来西亚通讯及多媒体委员会（MCMC）不会干预各政党的社交媒体竞选活动，只会对投诉采取行动。