Today (5 Nov) was an eventful day for Malaysia as Nomination Day for the 15th General Election began.
Over at Seputeh, Kuala Lumpur (KL), the nomination process got off to a bizarre start, thanks to some unusual candidate names.
Among them was ‘Choy San Yeh’ – or God of Fortune in Cantonese – who participated as an independent candidate.
Source: Facebook
Despite protests from some of the other candidates, the election officer upheld the nomination.
The ‘celestial’ candidate was one of five candidates nominated for the elections in Seputeh, KL.
However, the candidate named Choy was allegedly absent as they had contracted Covid-19.
Instead, a 44-year-old lady, reportedly the candidate’s twin sister, registered on their behalf, reports Sin Chew Daily.
Source: Sin Chew Daily
Unsurprisingly, other candidates protested against the name, with one pointing out that the nomination process must be taken seriously. Therefore, such a name should not be allowed.
Another candidate pointed out that it was disrespectful to use such a name as the God of Fortune is a deity.
In the end, both protests were unsuccessful and the candidate was successfully nominated for the Seputeh election.
For those who are not familiar with dialect, ‘Choy San Yeh’ sounds similar to the Cantonese term for the God of Fortune.
According to Malaysiakini, candidates need not use their full or real name on the ballot paper.
China Press later reported that the candidate’s actual name is Lian Choy Ling.
A similar situation occurred in Batu, Selangor, which will be playing host to a 10-corner fight.
Another independent candidate by the name of ‘Too Gao Lan’ likewise nominated themself as an independent candidate.
The name sounds awfully similar to a Hokkien vulgarity someone may use to express their anger.
Source: Malaysiakini
In this case, the ‘livid’ candidate is entrepreneur Too Cheng Huat who reportedly happens to hold the title of ‘Datuk Seri’.
As the Malaysian election goes into full swing over the coming days and weeks, we’ll be sure to keep a lookout for fascinating stories like this.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Facebook and Sin Chew Daily.
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