KOTA KINABALU – Police fired tear gas at a big group of supporters who caused a commotion outside the nomination centre in Tenom, Sabah, after their party president Peter Anthony’s nomination papers were rejected.
According to video clips circulated on social media, the supporters who carried the flags of Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat’s (PKDM) were seen running and shouting in anger outside the nomination centre on Saturday.
They were also seen pushing through Light Strike Force officers who were in charge of riot control at the scene.
The police had to fire tear gas to disperse the rowdy crowd when they apparently refused to calm down and back off.
Mr Anthony, 51, managed to run into the centre amid the chaos.
According to the Free Malaysia Today news portal, Mr Anthony’s nomination was rejected by the Election Commission as he was convicted of forging documents in relation to a system maintenance contract in May. He is appealing the case.
The former Sabah infrastructure development minister is believed to have remained in the centre with his lawyers to argue against the rejection.
Mr Anthony was previously vice president in Parti Warisan before he quit to form PKDM. He won the Melalap state seat under Warisan’s ticket in the 2020 state elections.
He also faced money laundering charges but was acquitted in August. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK