A voter coming out of Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar after casting her vote in Pulai parliamentary by-election here in Johor Baru on Sept 9.
JOHOR BARU: A heavy downpour did not stop a grandfather of four from casting his vote at Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar (MSAB) in the Pulai parliamentary by-election.
Osman Alias Hashim Muhammad, 85, said that he had never missed casting his vote in an election since his first time in the 1970s.
“I am currently living in Kampung Melayu but used to stay in Kampung Baru, which is under Pulai parliamentary and each time an election is held, I will drive to MSAB to cast my vote.
“When I was about to leave my house, my wife reminded me to bring an umbrella because of the dark clouds. While I was driving, it rained quite heavily, and thankfully I listened to my wife,” he said when met at MSAB, better known as English College.
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Osman added that his motivation to go to the polling centre was his responsibility as a citizen of this country.
“We must vote. There is no excuse for us not to do so because it is our civic duty as Malaysians,” he added.
The Election Commission has announced that voter turnout at Pulai and Simpang Jeram was at 13 and 18 per cent respectively as at 10am.
Wet weather is expected in Johor Baru and Muar, where the two by-elections occur on Saturday.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has forecast thunderstorms from morning until evening in the two districts.
The Pulai parliamentary and Simpang Jeram state seats are within the Johor Baru and Muar districts, respectively.
A total of 166,653 voters are registered in Pulai and 40,379 in Simpang Jeram. Each seat will see a three-cornered fight involving Pakatan Harapan, Perikatan Nasional, and an Independent.
There were 47 polling centres with 294 streams in the Pulai parliamentary constituency and 14 centres with 68 streams in the Simpang Jeram state constituency, which would open from 8am until 6pm.
