Credit : Bernama
MELAKA, November 1, 2026 – A “flag war” among political parties has begun to colour the 16th Melaka state election, with party flags appearing along roadsides and at busy public spots a day after the nomination process ended, Bernama reported on Sunday.
A Bernama survey on Sunday found flags put up in urban areas including Kota Laksamana, Banda Hilir, Semabok, Duyong, Bukit Katil and Ayer Molek, the news agency said. The flags belonged to Pakatan Harapan (PH), Barisan Nasional (BN), Perikatan Nasional (PN), Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).
According to the report, several parties are reusing flags left over from the earlier state elections in Johor and Negeri Sembilan for the Melaka polls.
DAP: about 2,000 flags per seat
Melaka DAP chairman Khoo Poay Tiong told Bernama that most of the flags were still in good condition, so reusing them was a way to cut the cost of the campaign.
“We do not have a lot of financial resources, but putting up campaign materials such as flags, posters and banners is important to let voters in an area know that PH is contesting there,” he said, adding that the materials were also meant to introduce PH’s candidates to voters. “The main purpose is to convey that message, rather than to compete over who puts up the most flags,” he said.
Khoo said PH flags, particularly in seats contested by DAP, were being put up in stages, mainly at places the public often visit. He said about 2,000 flags would go up in each state seat the party is contesting, and more would be added if needed. The figure is the party’s own estimate.
He said billboards and bunting would follow. “We started after the nomination process ended yesterday, and the work is still ongoing. Billboards and bunting will be put up by polling district and according to need,” he said.
BN: flags borrowed from friends
BN’s candidate for the Duyong seat, Datuk Mohd Noor Helmy Abdul Halem, said the flags around his constituency had also come from friends in Negeri Sembilan and Johor, where state elections have already been held.
“Since Melaka is the third state to hold a state election, we are using whatever flags are available, as our budget is not large,” he said. He said flags in Duyong were still going up in stages and the work was expected to be finished in the next two or three days.
The Bernama report did not carry comments from PN, Bersama or Bersatu on their flag campaigns.
Key dates
Nomination for the 16th Melaka state election took place on October 31. The Election Commission (SPR) has fixed November 10 for early voting and November 14 as polling day, with 79 candidates contesting the 28 state seats and 687,697 registered voters, according to the SPR.
Credit : Bernama
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