NIBONG TEBAL (July 6): Polling for the Sungai Bakap state by-election kicked off at 8am on Saturday, and 38.3% of the 39,222 registered ordinary voters had come out to vote as of 1pm, according to the Election Commission (EC).
EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun, who was just appointed on June 26, said the voting process had been going on smoothly, with no serious incidents reported so far.
“I hope that all the voters who are registered in the Sungai Bakap state constituency can come out to vote and fulfil their responsibilities as soon as possible, because we cannot predict what will happen in the afternoon — maybe the weather is not good or so on,” he told reporters after visiting the Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Sungai Duri polling station.
The school is one of the nine polling centres, with a total of 65 voting streams.
While the turnout trend so far signalled a lower voter turnout compared to the last state election, Ramlan said that the percentage of voter turnout among young people had been particularly encouraging.
After observing three polling centres, he said some of the youth voting streams were being filled more than the voting streams for senior citizens. “Many young people came out early this time,” Ramlan added.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, meanwhile, has been quoted as saying that he hopes for the overall turnout to exceed 65%, in order to ensure a win for the Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate.
According to the EC, youth aged between 18 and 39 are the largest share of the electorate in Sungai Bakap at 43.5%, followed by voters aged 40 to 59 at 42.1%, while the remainder is senior citizens aged 60 and above at 14.5%.
The Sungai Bakap state by-election is a straight fight between PH candidate Dr Joohari Ariffin, 60, and Perikatan Nasional candidate Abidin Ismail, 56.
Abidin, who is a registered voter in Sungai Bakap, arrived at SK Sungai Duri at 8.15am and finished casting his vote about five minutes later.
He was greeted by his mother, Che Refiah Zakaria, 79, who arrived earlier in a wheelchair and was one of the earliest senior citizens to finish casting her vote. Abidin said his mother is a gout patient, and had to be accompanied by his sister Zalina Ismail, 58.
When asked who he voted for, Abidin joked and put up the “number two” sign with his hand, indicating that he voted for Candidate No 2 in the ballot, who is himself.
“My vote is not a secret. All my siblings have also voted here at the Sungai Duri voting centre, and we pray and leave everything to Allah,” he said in a lighthearted exchange with reporters.
Meanwhile, PH candidate Cikgu Joohari, as he is affectionately known, arrived about an hour later at 9.15am. Despite not being a voter in Sungai Bakap, the former teacher said he does not feel like an outsider in the area.
“I feel like this is my place. I don't even feel like a stranger. In fact, I see many familiar faces. Alhamdulillah, maybe that's an advantage for me," he said. Joohari is a registered voter in Sungai Acheh, which is one of the three state assembly seats under the Nibong Tebal parliamentary constituency, including Sungai Bakap.
The Sungai Bakap state by-election is being held following the death of incumbent Nor Zamri Latiff of PAS due to stomach inflammation on May 24. In the Penang state election in August last year, the late Nor Zamri, who was the Nibong Tebal PAS chief, defeated PH candidate Nurhidayah Che Rose with a majority of 1,563 votes.