Sabah natives: Lin (left) and Hasnah will return home to vote.
JOHOR BARU: She missed out on voting in the General Election three years ago, but nothing could stop Lin Li Er from being at the polling station this time.
She flew back to Sandakan on Thursday.
“As much as I wanted to vote, I could not afford the flight tickets during GE15. I was very disappointed,” said the 24-year-old marketing executive.
“Money was very tight as I was still an intern in Selangor. So, when they announced the date for the state election this year, I quickly bought my tickets,” she said.
Lin, who will cast her vote in Karamunting, said voters in the area want an assemblyman who can address perennial issues like water and electricity supply.
“In the apartment building my family lives in, we face unscheduled water interruptions as many as four times a week.
“Sometimes, even when there is water, the pressure is so low that we have to go to the ground floor to collect water and carry it up to our unit,” she said.
Lin also hopes there will be more job opportunities in Sabah.
“Given a choice, many Sabahans working in the peninsula will opt to remain in our home state,” she said.
Also making her way home for the state election is 34-year-old civil servant Hasnah Jusid from Kota Belud.
“I have been a postal voter all this time. This is the first time that I will be voting physically.
“I want to experience what other voters go through. From waking up early in the morning to get to the polling station, to having my finger dipped in indelible ink,” she said.
Hasnah is a voter in the Bandau seat which is seeing a 13-cornered fight.
