Among the complaints raised was on visiting communities, which they said was normally allowed, but under the new norms to curb the spread of Covid-19, it could no longer be part of any campaign activity.
Umno member Muhammad Adib Juhari, 24, said the SOPs made it difficult for the party machinery to campaign, but had to be followed to avoid the spread of infections.
“It is already difficult for us to campaign, but the restrictions have made it tougher with all the new norms. The best way forward now is to use technology,” he told Bernama here.
“The campaign period should have been longer so the candidates can cover all the areas in their constituencies. If we hold online talks every day, the audience will be bored.”
However, Bersatu’s Jasin division committee member, Mohd Arzaain Mat Darus, 35, said the five-day campaign period would suffice.
“Five days are enough, instead of the normal 12, because it’s tough to campaign with these strict SOPs.
“A longer campaign period will only provide more opportunities for slander on social media,” he said.
Tangga Batu Umno Youth committee member Mohd Haidhir Haris, 42, said it would be easier to approach young people online, but it was not the same when it came to senior citizens.
Young people were used to the latest technology, he said, but it would be quite difficult to reach out to the elderly.
Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) member Siti Zarbedah Idros, 54, said not everyone had the time to read postings on Facebook or on WhatsApp.
She considered the new norms a challenge for the party, registered in 2019.
“From tonight, we will upload digital content on social media sites to reach out to voters. We also plan to campaign on vehicles using loudhailers as proposed by the EC, but the rainy weather conditions have hampered our movement,” she said.
Siti Zarbedah said there was a positive side to the strict restrictions imposed during the campaign period.
“We can save costs as there will be no large-scale programmes,” she said.
EC chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh said on Monday that ceramahs, public speeches and physical campaigns were not allowed during the election.
Among the banned activities were house-to-house visits, walkabouts and distribution of pamphlets to the public, but the candidates could use mobile vans or mini-lorries with loudhailers.
The candidates were encouraged to use social media to deliver their messages.