In making the appeal to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, Gobind said this requirement made no sense as the two-week campaign period was meant to allow candidates to introduce themselves to voters.

The Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for Damansara added that the requirement went against the purpose of walkabouts and hindered campaigning for GE15, especially when candidates had activities all day long, Sin Chew Daily reported.

“Let’s say I am at the market now and am asked to greet the community members next door when I exit the market, or when I am going from one food court to another, what kind of permit do we actually need to apply for?”

He said such a requirement was impractical and didn’t make sense given the situation on the ground.

Gobind said he understood the need for permits for events like ceramahs but maintained that it was unnecessary for walkabouts.

Yesterday, Perak police chief Yusri Hassan Basri said election candidates going on walkabouts in the state must get a permit from the district police chief a day earlier.

Yusri said this applied to public speeches as well, adding that the permits were needed to ensure “safety and public order”.