Tioman polls: Voters can ask for time off from employers to cast votes

ROMPIN: Voters in Tioman can ask for time off from their employers to go out and cast their votes for the Tioman state seat in the 15th General Election (GE15) tomorrow.

Returning officer Datuk Ahmad Nasim Mohd Sidek said the polling day for the Tioman seat, which falls on a working day, should not hamper the voters from performing their civic duty to vote.

"I call on the voters to come and cast their votes according to the time proposed by the Election Commission (EC) as provided in their voter's slip," he told Bernama after checking the final preparation for the polls at the Dewan Jubli Perak Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah here today.

Ahmad Nasim also said the ballot boxes from the island part of Tioman will be taken to the official vote-tallying centre on the mainland using a helicopter, but preparations were also being done to use the sea route if the weather does not allow flights to operate.

"We will work closely with the Marine Police and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and their boats are ready to be mobilised in the event of something unexpected," he said.

Seventeen polling centres will be opened for the GE15 for the Tioman state seat, five of which will be on the island.

Polling for the Tioman state seat was postponed following the death of Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Md Yunus Ramli, 61, in the wee hour of the polling day for GE15 on Nov 19.

The Tioman state seat will witness a five-cornered fight that included PN candidate Nor Idayu Hashim, Datuk Seri Mohd Johari Hussain (BN), Osman A Bakar (Pejuang), Sulaiman Bakar (Independent).

The other candidate, Mohd Fadzli Mohd Ramly, of PH, is making way for the BN candidate to increase the latter's chances of winning, but his (Mohd Fadzli) name will still be on the ballot papers.

According to the EC, the status of the candidates cannot be changed after their nominations were accepted.

There are 28,465 registered voters in Tioman.

-- BERNAMA