Family of five brave through stagnant floodwaters to vote

PASIR MAS: Young voter Nur Shafika Rosmadi, 18, along with four family members today wade through 500 metres of stagnant floodwaters using a boat to fulfil their responsibility as voters in the 15th General Election (GE15).

She was joined by her 70-year-old grandmother, her 49-year-old father, who suffered from a stroke, her mother and her brother.

Once they arrived at the main road, the family got in their car, which was left on the roadside, to go to the polling station at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Gual Periok for the Rantau Panjang parliamentary constituency.

"This is my first time voting. Despite the floods, I'm still excited to cast my ballot.

"I will never forget this experience, especially when we had to wade through floodwaters to vote," Nur Shafika told Bernama when met in Kampung Tersang here today.

The Jeli Community College student said the flood did not hinder her family and other villagers from fulfilling their responsibility as voters.

"Today is our opportunity to elect our representatives who can help us, especially to solve the stagnant floodwater issue," she said.

Nur Shafika added that most residents of Kampung Tersang used their boats to wade through the chest-high floodwaters to exercise their right to vote this morning.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim Rahman, 72, who is taking shelter at the SK Gual Tok Deh temporary relief centre (PPS), said GE15 was his first experience of voting as a flood victim.

"I have been here for a week after my house was flooded up to chest level, and until now, the floodwater has not receded.

"It is indeed a different atmosphere. During the last election, I had to stand in a long queue, but today I can vote as early as 8 am because this PPS is also used as a polling centre," he said.

-- BERNAMA