SYMBOLS are of utmost importance in any general election as the ballot paper will carry the symbol of each candidate.

It is therefore vital that the voters recognise not only the candidate's name but also the symbol he is associated with.

A candidate fielded by a political party can use the party's logo while independent candidates have a choice of 15 other symbols provided by the Election Commission (EC), which include a bunch of keys, a rooster and even a bicycle.

Candidates from the 14 Barisan Nasional component parties contest under the coalition's dacing (weighing scale) although their own party symbols are also very much in sight during the campaign period.

Interestingly, the three major component parties and their symbols are not registered with the EC for a simple reason - they are the three original members of Alliance, which dates back to pre-Independence days and had a sailing boat as its symbol.

Most of the other 11 Barisan partners, some of which were once opposition parties, have registered symbols.

Technically, only parties that are listed with the Registrar of Societies can register their symbols with the EC and put up candidates.

Sometimes, instead of fielding their candidates as independents, yet-to-be-registered parties opt to have them stand on another party's ticket, using the other party's symbol.

Is this article useful to you?