Woman recovering from childbirth among voters who cast their votes in Sungai Besar

The fact that she is still recovering from the rigours of pregnancy, labour and birth does not dampen the spirit of a young mother to cast her vote at the Sungai Besar by-election today.

Norzawani Mohd Saad, who gave birth to a baby girl less than three weeks ago, cast her vote at the polling centre at Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan Yoke Kuan in Sekinchan here.

Speaking to Bernama, the 29-year-old woman said despite her lack of energy, she could not ignore her responsibility as a registered voter.

"I left the house at 9 am with my sister by my side to cast our votes here and I feel very happy and relieved after doing my part," she said.

Norzawani, who also carried her newborn baby girl, Nur Anisa Aisara Mohd Amin, was assisted by the Election Commission (EC) staff to check her name on the electoral roll before proceeding to the polling booth.

This is the second time she voted to elect a representative for Sungai Besar parliamentary constituency after that of the last general election.

Utusan Malaysia journalist covering the Sungai Besar by-election also took a short time off to perform her duty as a registered voter in the constituency.

Umu Hani Assaidah Abdullah, 30, cast her ballot at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Sungai Limau at 9 am.

"After covering the event involving Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Budiman Mohd Zohdi earlier, I thought it was a perfect time for me to cast my vote. I'm proud to have done my part as a dedicated Malaysian citizen," she said.

Meanwhile, age was not a factor for 107-year-old Asmah Kasan to be among the voters who cast their votes in the by-election.

Being wheeled to the polling centre by her granddaughter Indarwati Turmadi, 40, and two others, Asmah was among the earliest voters seen at Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Limau.

According to Indarwati, her grandmother, who is now suffering from impaired vision and speech disorder, never failed to vote in an election since the Independence.

"Although her identity card says she is 87 years old, she was actually born 20 years earlier," she said.

Bernama checks at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Seri Utama here also found that several voters were confused and disappointed after finding out that their polling centres were changed to other centres.

However, the problem was quickly solved with the help and explanation given by the EC staff.

The by-election is being held following the death of its incumbent Tan Sri Noriah Kasnon in a helicopter crash in Sebuyau, Sarawak, on May 5.

The fight for the seat is between Budiman, Dr Abdul Rani Osman (PAS) and Azhar Abdul Shukur (Amanah).