PD POLLS | As the 15-day campaign for the Port Dickson by-election nears the halfway mark, PAS flags are uncharacteristically rare throughout the constituency. 

A check conducted by Malaysiakini found that only about 20 and 50 flags party flags have been placed were along the main roads to Lukut and Teluk Kemang, respectively.

Similarly, banners or posters bearing PAS candidate Mohd Nazari Mokhtar's face have yet to surface. 

This had raised questions about PAS' approach to campaigning for the by-election, as the Islamist party normally took the "flag war" seriously.

Met at Teluk Kemang yesterday, Nazari admitted that PAS' machinery is rather "slow" this time, in terms of preparing campaign materials and the mobilisation of vote canvassers.

According to the retired Air Force lieutenant-colonel, PAS had planned to put up 25,000 party flags this time, but the lack of flagpoles has dampened efforts.

"What we are going to bring here are new flags, not old ones. So when the new flags are put up, Port Dickson will be 'greener'.

"But, we have to sew (these flags)... we have to find to the wooden flagpoles," Nazari said when met on the campaign trail at the Teluk Kemang beach.

"We are still looking for the flagpoles, (these are) not enough yet. If (we) have these poles, God willing, Malaysiakini, you can see for yourself," he added.

"Our machinery is now ensuring that the pamphlets with my biodata will arrive at every house in Port Dickson," Nazari said.

In terms of flags, posters and buntings, Pakatan Harapan candidate Anwar Ibrahim was clearly in the lead followed by independent candidate Stevie Chan.

Apart from the absence of party flags and the candidate's posters, Nazari also noted that his campaign team only started full-on campaigning on the fourth day of the campaign period, with the help of grassroots leaders and members from other states, particularly Selangor.

"We do not deny that Negeri Sembilan PAS has its limitations. If compared with PAS from Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, of course, Negeri Sembilan PAS looks different.

"The local PAS machinery only started showing its strength from nomination day (Sept 29) onwards," he said, adding that Selangor PAS, which has more members, came to assist in campaigning in the eleventh hour after the election was called.

However, Nazari sees a silver lining in the party's lukewarm campaigning thus far, saying: "A tsunami that starts slow will burst and make waves.

"God willing, we don't want to see (the election mood) moving downward towards the end (of the campaigning period). We want to see it going upward."