A 66-year-old man, now completely blind, votes in the Kinabatangan and Lamag by-elections with his daughter’s assistance, marking his second time.
KINABATANGAN: An elderly man with complete vision loss enthusiastically cast his vote in Saturday’s dual by-elections here.
Sixty-six-year-old Ammase Baco was assisted by his daughter at the polling centre in Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Garam II.
He said this was his second time voting, having first done so in the Sabah state election last November after his vision deteriorated in September.
“I have never missed voting in any election, despite a severe corneal problem affecting my sight,” he told Bernama.
“My eyesight worsened after a fall down the stairs, and for the last two months I have been entirely blind.”
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Siti Khairia Asri said she was keen to fulfil her responsibilities by voting for the second time.
She added that young voters had no reason to take their responsibilities lightly despite the recent state election.
The Kinabatangan parliamentary constituency has 48,282 registered voters.
The Lamag state constituency has 13,515 voters.
The Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election is a three-cornered contest.
Candidates are Mohd Kurniawan Naim Moktar of Barisan Nasional, Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman of Warisan and independent Goldam Hamid.
The Lamag state by-election is a straight fight between BN’s Mohd Ismail Ayob and Warisan’s Mazliwati Abdul Malek.
The by-elections follow the death of MP Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin on December 5 last year.
