According to Petaling Jaya city councillor Rahibah Che Omar, the deposits required for a permit to display election materials should start at RM10,000. Currently, the deposit for waste management is RM3,000, while state and parliamentary constituencies require deposits of RM1,000 and RM2,000 respectively for displaying election materials. Rahibah believes these amounts are too low and allow political parties to have unlimited locations and items for their campaign materials.
During the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) full board meeting, Rahibah expressed concerns over the environmental impact of election campaigns. While recycling campaign materials is desirable, it is not always feasible. Incineration of these materials can release toxic fumes, and disposing of them in landfills is not environmentally sustainable.
Rahibah is calling for the city council to look at promoting greener election campaigns.
Rahibah highlighted that waste collected during the 14th General Election increased from 250,000 to 269,000 tonnes. To address this issue, she suggested limiting the number of banners, posters, and buntings used by political parties and candidates. She also proposed the use of designated zones for placing election materials. To achieve environmental sustainability during elections, Rahibah called for amendments to the Election Advertisements (MBPJ) 2007 by-laws.
Encouraging eco-friendly campaigns and promoting digital advertising as an alternative to physical materials were among Rahibah’s suggestions for the city council. Petaling Jaya mayor Datuk Mohamad Azhan Md Amir stated that Rahibah’s proposals would be brought to the attention of the Election Commission.
Zain Azly Abdul Rahman, the director of MBPJ Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Department, explained that most of the waste generated during elections is either disposed of in landfills or recycled. Items with party logos are typically sent for energy recovery to prevent improper reuse.
Mohd Fauzi Maarop, the enforcement director, mentioned that the process of releasing deposits is still being finalized. He could not confirm if there were candidates who had failed to clear all election-related materials as required by law, as stated in Section 24B(8) of the Election Offences Act 1954, which stipulates that all campaign materials must be removed within 14 days after the August 12 polling day.
Credit: The Star : Metro Feed
