Too many candidates: April and Andrew Lim seen leaving the polls.
KOTA KINABALU: The long ballot paper had siblings Andrew and April Lim giggling away as they left the polling centre after casting their votes.
“The piece of paper was so long, it was so funny. I do hope this means the candidates we chose are serious about making a difference,” said Andrew, referring to the ballot paper bearing the names of 13 candidates contesting for the Kapayan seat.
His 31-year-old sister said she had never seen such a “long scroll” in her years of voting.
April said it took her a while to focus when she got her ballot, while her mother only shook her head when asked if she had encountered such a long list of candidates before.
Lester Langkin said although he had decided on who to vote for, he almost marked the X on another name, just because the choices were so abundant.
“In the end, after looking through the names, I still decided to stick with my first decision,” said the 40-year-old who wished to see more economic development done for Kapayan, among other beneficial moves.
First time voter Nur Alley Amelly Suhaili, 19, said she was surprised to see the length of the ballot paper.
“It looked like a long receipt,” said the amused teenager.
Octogenarian Chee Show Ching, a voter in Api-Api, said although there were only five names in her ballot paper, she still felt it was too many as the candidates were not people she was familiar with.
“In the end, I just chose whoever I felt could bring a better future to this place,” said the 87-year- old.
Amoster Alex Henry Inter, a voter with disability, hopes the new leaders and state government would be more inclusive to people like himself.
“I wish we have more say in the state’s policies and planning. Being physically disabled does not mean we can’t contribute to Sabah’s economic and social development,” said the sound-system provider for events.
