The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) had to deploy tear gas in Tenom, Sabah earlier today against protestors that were causing a ruckus outside of the Tenom nomination centre. The riot broke out over the rejection of a Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) candidate for the seat in the 15 General Election (GE15).
As reported by The New Straits Times, the riot was believed to be instigated by the Election Commission’s (SPR) rejection of KDM president Datuk Peter Anthony’s nomination for the aforementioned Parliamentary seat. Videos of the riot have since made their rounds across social media, one of which has been obtained by WORLD OF BUZZ below:
In the video, tear gas was seen deployed by the authorities to disperse the rioting supporters who are trying to forcefully enter the Tenom nomination centre. In another video, the supporters, who are waving KDM banners can be seen shouting and causing unrest outside of the nomination centre as they receive the news that Peter’s nomination has been rejected.
It is believed that SPR rejected the nomination because Peter was previously sentenced to 3 years’ jail and a fine of RM50,000, in default 15 months’ jail after he was found guilty of forging a letter for a Mechanical and Electrical Systems (M&E) maintenance work at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). However, Peter had obtained a stay of execution pending an appeal to the High Court, though the conviction should still bar him from contesting in an election as per Article 48 of the Federal Constitution, regardless of the appeal.
As of the time of writing, the authorities have yet to issue any official statement on the incident. So, what do you guys think of the whole situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Also read: PDRM Opens Investigation Paper Over Potential GE15 Sabotage In Sungai Siput, Perak
