TAPAH: A newlywed couple took time off from their wedding celebrations yesterday to cast their votes for the Ayer Kuning by-election.
Spa worker Norhidayanty Yaziz, 29, never thought her wedding day would become even more memorable when it coincided with polling day, making it extra special for her and her husband, electrical maintenance worker Khairul Shafaeez Idris, 35.
“I found out about the by-election date clashing with our wedding about a month ago. Initially, I was surprised, especially since it was my first time voting.
“However, out of a sense of duty, I still made it a point to vote and choose someone to represent us here,” she told Bernama when met at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Batu Tiga polling centre.
The newlyweds arrived at the polling centre with their family members around 4.30pm.
Norhidayanty, who works in the Klang Valley, said the wedding reception held at Kampung Tersusun Batu 33 in Temoh was a joyful affair and many of the guests were also voters in the constituency.
“I am so grateful to my family and close relatives who helped a lot with the preparations. Alhamdulillah, everything went smoothly although we were a bit worried that the by-election might keep many guests busy,” she said.
Meanwhile, single mother Suzana Ilias made time to cast her vote despite having to care for her three autistic children, arriving the at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bidor polling centre with all three of them in tow.
According to Suzana, 53, this is the second time her children Muhammad Khir Khairul Nizam, 29, Nur Fatimah, 28, and Nur Ashikin, 25, have exercised their voting rights, the first being for the 15th general election in 2022.
“This time was more challenging as I had to single-handedly manage the three of them. Previously, my late husband helped, but after he passed away last year, I now have to manage everything alone.”
The Election Commision earlier said as of 4pm yesterday, only 54.01% of voters in the Ayer Kuning constituency had cast their ballots.
Senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs told theSun voter apathy is growing as more people were getting tired of endless political fighting.
“These endless fights over race and religion, instead of focusing on the economy and people’s livelihoods, have worn the public down.
“There is no magic formula to hold on to any seat, but attention to voters’ livelihoods would go a long way,” he said.
All 19 polling centres, comprising 63 voting streams, were opened simultaneously at 8am to allow the 31,281 registered voters to cast their ballots.
Eighteen polling centres remained opened until 6pm, except for the centre at Sekolah Kebangsaan Toh Tandewa Sakti, which closed at 4pm.
Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi expressed satisfaction with the strong collaboration between BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) throughout the 14-day campaign period.
The Umno president said cooperation during the campaign was well-executed, similar to previous by-elections in Nenggiri, Kelantan and Mahkota in Johor, which resulted in BN victories.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain and Perak Police Chief Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin were also present to observe the polling process at SMK Bidor and Sekolah Menengah Agama Daerah Batang Padang.
