Prepared to wait: Young voters queuing to vote on polling day at SMK Air Itam in Ayer Hitam, Penang. – CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
First-timers and senior citizens were among those in Penang who came out in droves to exercise their right in GE15, which threw up some surprise winners and losers.
MORE than a million Penangites queued under the morning sun on Saturday to fulfill their democratic duty in choosing their parliamentary representatives.
The sense of expectation and excitement were clearly evident, especially among first-time voters and senior citizens who came early to the polling stations.
Among them was 72-year-old housewife Norsiah Abu Bakar, who was the first in line at SJK (C) Pei Yu in Kepala Batas to vote in the 15th General Election (GE15).
She was at the voting centre by 7.30am, accompanied by her son Firdaus Ahmad Fuzee, 45.
“My mother, despite being in a wheelchair, had insisted on carrying out her responsibility,” said Firdaus.
Norsiah, 72, and her son Firdaus at SJK (C) Pei Yu in Kepala Batas on Saturday. She was the first in line at the polling centre.
Having missed casting his ballot in the previous general election, Chew J-Wei made sure that he made it home in time from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to vote for GE15.
The 30-year-old senior key account manager, a first-time voter, said he was happy to finally be able to exercise his right.
“Before casting my vote, I did my due diligence, and the infographics in The Star gave me an insight into the respective parties and candidates.
“I look out for leaders who are brave enough to speak out when they feel that what’s being done is wrong,” he said when met at the SMK Tunku Abdul Rahman voting centre in Nibong Tebal.
Chew said he was with his family members who were as excited as him, adding that the nine of them did not mind the hot weather as they waited patiently for their turn to vote.
In Bukit Mertajam, octogenarian Tan Ah Nya was determined to cast her vote despite undergoing orthopaedic surgery.
Kua (left), brought his grandmother Tan, who had undergone surgery, to vote at SMK Permai Indah, Jalan Bukit Minyak, Penang.
Accompanied by her grandson Alvin Kua, 29, and her daughter, Tan arrived at the polling centre at SMK Permai Indah in Jalan Bukit Minyak before the gate opened at 8am.
Kua said his grandmother underwent the surgery about a month ago and is currently recuperating at a rehabilitation centre in Penang.
“She is in good spirits. She has not missed casting her vote in every general election,” he said.
First-time voter Wong Yong Qi, 22, said he arrived at the SMK Permai Indah polling centre at 6.45am.
“I am here with my uncle. He was the first in line as he reached here at 6.30am.
“My uncle tried to suggest which candidate I should vote for.
“But I did my homework and read some articles before coming here today,” he said.
On the island, a family of five comprising siblings Tan Yi Qin, 21, Yi Chin, 24, and Guan Hun, 18, were spotted with their parents Tan Cheng Jin, 54, and Lim Gim Choo, 50, coming out of the SJK (C) Hu Yew Seah voting centre in Madras Lane off Macalister Road.
Yi Qin said this was the first time that she and her two siblings were voting.
Some voters choose to park further away and walk to the polling station to avoid the heavy traffic on the road on polling day.
“We are quite blur about politics but luckily, we have our parents to guide us.
“I won’t say who we have voted for but I will say that the candidate I chose will bring development and prosperity to my hometown.”
As for company director Ng Min Qiang, 29, he was excited to be voting for the first time too.
“I was nervous and checked the dos and don’ts multiple times the night before.
“Before voting, I did some research on the candidates in my area and read about their manifestos and track records.
“We need to choose a leader who is vocal and dares to make a difference for our country to help it prosper,” he said, adding that it was a smooth voting process.
Ng, who works in Kuala Lumpur, added that it felt like a festive season as many family members were home to exercise their right.
> TURN TO PAGE 3“It’s like Chinese New Year, with so many family and friends back home all together.
“The streets in town were filled with cars and the restaurants were full of people,” he noted.
Two voters turned up in costume — as the Predator alien hunter and Captain America — at the polling centres of Desa Intan 7A in Bandar Baru Ayer Itam and SK Sri Aman in Kampung Melayu respectively.
However, the former was not allowed to vote as he refused to remove his Predator mask when asked to do so by Election Commission (EC) officials.
Muhamad Shah Rizal Mat Sahat, 32, who came dressed as Captain America and was allowed to vote, said he turned up as a superhero to encourage more 18-year-olds to come out to exercise their right.
According to the EC, some 1,215,424 votes were cast in Penang between 8am and 6pm on Nov 19.
Perikatan makes inroads
The GE15 results were bittersweet for the Pakatan Harapan coalition which failed to accomplish its aim of retaining all its seats.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who won the Batu Kawan seat with a majority of 40,400 votes in a five-way fight, conveyed his appreciation to his team but at the same time, expressed his disappointment over losing the Permatang Pauh seat.
“I may have won the Batu Kawan seat with a big majority, but we cannot be happy as we failed to achieve our aim of retaining Pakatan’s 11 seats.
“We managed to win 10 seats but lost Permatang Pauh, after PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar failed to retain the seat.
Voters waiting for their turn to cast their ballots at the polling station at SK Seri Penanti in Permatang Pauh.
“We are disappointed and sad and our hope to win the Kepala Batas and Tasek Gelugor seats also did not come true,” he said at his operations centre in Bukit Mertajam.
The Permatang Pauh seat was won by Perikatan Nasional candidate Muhammad Fawwaz Muhammad Jan from PAS who polled 37,638 votes against Nurul Izzah’s 32,366, Barisan Nasional’s Datuk Mohd Zaidi Mohd Said’s 16,971 and Pejuang’s Nasir Othman’s 473.
Meanwhile, newly-elected Kepala Batas MP Dr Siti Mastura Muhammad of Perikatan Nasional has pledged to make it a place of “political maturity” where the voices of youth will be heard.
The 33-year-old beat two-term incumbent MP Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican by 2,867 votes, bringing to an end Barisan’s reign in a seat first won by former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 1978.
Reezal Merican had won the seat in 2013 and 2018.
Siti Mastura, who is head of the Dewan Muslimat PAS Penang, attributed her victory to youths.
“Almost 50% voters in Kepala Batas are young and they were the ‘power changers’ in this GE15,” she said.
Barisan’s Bayan Baru candidate Saw casting her vote at SK Sungai Nibong, Penang.
Another seat which fell to Perikatan was Tasek Gelugor, where Bersatu’s information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan beat Barisan’s Sungai Dua assemblyman Datuk Muhammad Yusoff Mohd Noor with a majority of 12,252 votes in a five-way fight.
Umno had won the seat by only 81 votes in 2018 with Datuk Shabudin Yahya, who later defected to Bersatu.
Wan Saiful said the big margin of victory was brought about by the wave of young voters.
“The people of Tasek Gelugor want stability and they also want a competent and clean government,” he said.
In Bukit Gelugor, Pakatan’s Ramkarpal Singh returned as MP after securing a thumping 71,204 votes.
Barisan’s Wong Chin Chong and Perikatan’s P. Thinagaranabhan obtained 8,092 and 6,777, respectively.
In Jelutong, the voters returned incumbent RSN Rayer from Pakatan Harapan as the MP with 50,369 votes.
Muhamad Shah Rizal, who turned up to vote dressed as Captain America at SK Sri Aman in Kampung Melayu, posing for a selfie. — Photos: CHAN BOON KAI, LIM BENG TATT, ZHAFARAN NASIB, K.T. GOH and LIEW JIA XIAN/The Star
The other candidates were Warisan’s Lim Huat Poh (442 votes), Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s Koh Swe Yong (264), Perikatan’s Datuk Baljit Singh (11,765), Barisan’s Datuk Loganathan Thoraisamy (7,387) and Independent Mohamed Yacoob Mohamed Noor (480).
Barisan’s Bayan Baru candidate Saw Yee Fung said she accepted her defeat and congratulated Sim Tze Tzin from Pakatan who retained the seat with a 34,902-vote majority.
“I hope he will strive to improve public policies.”
Saw further said, “This is a reflection of the people’s choice and I have been encouraged by the support from everyone.
“I promise not to be discouraged by the outcome and will strive to become better and gain the trust of the people.
“I will continue to keep tabs on the development of Penang.”
She received 13,377 votes.
Perikatan’s Oh Tong Keong, who came in second with 20,307 votes, said he understood why people voted for him as he was always in Bayan Baru doing what he could to help the people.
“I have been in the area for a long time, so there are voters supporting me.
“This is my first time contesting for a parliamentary seat and the people have been supportive,” he said.
