PUTRAJAYA, May 4 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) supporters here have cried foul today over damage caused to their tent, party flags and banners, which they said happened following the Opposition coalition’s massive ceramah last night with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Visiting its polling district centre tent in Presint 15, Malay Mail saw it was badly damaged and almost stripped bare, while several PKR flags that were initially placed along the road had been ripped out and dumped in a drain.
PKR flags could similarly be seen strewn around Presint 8 and 9, while Barisan Nasional (BN) and PAS flags were left intact and in good condition.
A Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) party member, who only wanted to be identified as Nooreazwan, told Malay Mail he had received a call informing him about the incident at 7am today.
“I’m not going to blame anyone but judge for yourself. Only our flags were destroyed everywhere. PAS flags are all good. So?” he asked.
Last night saw a carnival-like atmosphere here, when thousands of people braved the rain to gather at an open field beside Masjid Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin in Presint 3 to watch Dr Mahathir and other PH leaders, such as Hannah Yeoh and Nik Omar Nik Abdul Aziz speak.
Another PPBM member, Mohd Kamarudin Rosli, blamed the damage on “a rival party” who he claimed were unhappy with last night’s turnout.
“Last night saw unprecedented scenes here. Maybe the rival party is trying to send a message... in an uncivilised way,” he said, sounding frustrated.
The gathering yesterday was the Opposition’s biggest so far in the federal administrative capital that was established by Dr Mahathir in his final years as prime minister.
The gathering, which started at 8pm, ended at midnight and throughout the event, people could be heard chanting “Reformasi”, the rallying cry started by supporters of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who was Dr Mahathir’s former deputy before he was sacked from the government in 1997.
