B. Findings i. Nomination Day CHAPTER 2 Nomination day in N5 Matunggong, N6 Bandau, N16 Karambunai, N25 Kepayan and N26 Moyog ran smoothly. All EC officers and candidates were punctual at the constituencies monitored by SUHAKAM. Supporters gathered at the designated locations. There were approximately 100-200 people for each party showing their support. The police and representatives of RELA, the District Office and Local Council, kept the situation under control. Observers were given the freedom to move around and monitor the process from start to finish. The media were given good access and all announcements made were clear and could be heard by the supporters. ii. Voting process during COVID-19 The SOPs set by the Health Ministry (MOH) and National Security Council (NSC) were observed throughout the campaigning and polling periods. There were special rooms for those who were symptomatic. Donning face masks, voters practised social distancing while queuing up to enter the polling channels from as early as 7 am. EC workers checked voters’ body temperature and asked them to use hand sanitisers. EC personnel in full personal protective equipment (PPE) were on hand to help the elderly in wheelchairs to cast their ballots. However, problems did arise during the campaign period and ceramah as there were candidates, supporters and audience who did not observe physical distancing. For example, in Sandakan, SUHAKAM observed that most of the political parties that organised huge crowds breached the SOP for social distancing. In Sungai Manila, 2,000 people attended the campaign rally; most failed to adhere to the election SOPs. iii. Vote Buying (Money Politics) Political parties from both sides of the divide have been known to organise programmes to reward voters during elections. The most common are lunches and dinners to “treat” voters. They also gave cash to voters: • RM100 – RM550 in Kota Marudu by Perikatan Nasional • RM100 cash in N6 Bandau by WARISAN • RM100 cash in N65 Senallang by Perikatan Nasional • RM100 cash in N31 Membakut by WARISAN ANNUAL REPORT 2020 77