Pakatan must obtain EC approval for use of logo: EC chairman

PUTRAJAYA: The opposition Pakatan Harapan pact must obtain the permission of the Election Commission on the logo it will use in the coming 14th General Election (GE14), EC chairman Tan Sri Mohd Hashim Abdullah said today.
"We have to give the approval for the use of any logo. If they want to use a new logo and such, we have to give the approval," he said at a press conference held in conjunction with the GE14 Operations Room Simulation at the EC headquarters.
Mohd Hashim said the EC had yet to receive any official notification on the new logo to be used by Pakatan Harapan.
Pakatan Harapan chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had announced in Pasir Gudang, Johor, yesterday that the component parties of the pact would use the symbol of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in GE14.
"The EC will approve the use of the logo if it is not contrary to the regulations," said Mohd Hashim.
Mohd Hashim also said that a statement in an English-language newspaper attributed to him had been twisted by certain parties to state that he had given the go-ahead for the review of the electoral boundaries based on racial polarisation.
He said what was meant was the principle of the relations among the ethnic minorities in Sarawak who should not be separated, which had been addressed by the EC in considering the recommendations on the review of the electoral boundaries in the state.
"What was said is only in relation to the ethnic communities in Sarawak and does not refer to race as stated. The situation is different in Sarawak and the peninsula.
"I hope these parties will stop twisting the facts. The electoral review is for the convenience of the voters and their elected representatives," he added. — Bernama