PKR man gives EC until Wednesday to include him as Rantau candidate
V Anbalagan | April 30, 2018
Dr Streram Sinnasamy says he will take legal action after May 2 deadline.
Dr Streram Sinnasamy was denied entry into the nomination centre as he did not have a EC pass.
PETALING JAYA: A PKR candidate, who was refused entry to the nomination centre to file his papers, has issued a deadline to the Election Commission (EC) to include him as a candidate for the Rantau state seat.
Dr Streram Sinnasamy said he had sent a letter of demand to the EC today and had given the commission until Wednesday evening to comply with his request.
The letter was sent to the EC headquarters in Putrajaya and the Negeri Sembilan branch office in Seremban.
“Action allowed under the law will be taken if the demand is not complied with,” Streram said at the office of his lawyer, Mohamed Haniff Khatri Andulla, today.
Haniff said the demand letter was sent to the EC as it should rectify the mistake made against the candidate.
“We cannot afford to go to court now since the law seems to disallow us to challenge the disqualification at this juncture,” he said.
Haniff did not rule out a civil action on the tort of misfeasance in public office against the returning officer and the EC.
Streram had also lodged a second report at the Petaling Jaya police station yesterday.
“By refusing to allow me to enter, the returning officer has denied the 20,000 Rantau voters a choice of who should represent them in the legislative assembly,” he said.
Haniff said the police reports were made as several offences under the Penal Code and Election Offences Act had been identified.
Streram was refused entry for not having a candidate pass issued by the EC. He was quoted as saying that he had not been informed about the need to collect the pass.
BN candidate Mohamad Hasan, the Negeri Sembilan menteri besar, was returned unopposed due to the incident.
Haniff today clarified that it was not mandatory for candidates and their agents to have passes in order for the nomination papers to be accepted.
He said this in response to reports in several mainstream media that questioned why the candidate had left behind his pass.
