BENTONG – Voters in Pelangai head to the polling stations to pick their new assemblyman.for the state constituency in Pahang during the by-election which takes place today.
A total of nine polling centres involving 30 streams will be open from 8am to 6pm, and the counting of votes will take place at the official vote tallying centre at Dewan Orang Ramai Felda Kemasul here.
Three of the polling centres – namely SMK Chemomoi, SK Kemasul and SK Sg Kemahal – are in the Felda areas, while the other six centres are SJKC Telemong, SMK Seri Pelangai, SK Pelangai, SKJC Manchis, Dewan Serbaguna Sg Gapoi and Balai Raya Kg Sg Perdak. In total, there are 30 channels in the nine centres.
According to the Election Commission (EC), of the total registered 16,456 voters in Pelangai, 36 were police officers, while the other three were overseas absentee voters.
However, no early voting centres were open for the by-election, despite the fact that early voting was set for October 3 after the EC issued 73 ballot papers to those eligible for postal voting.
A check on the Malaysian Meteorological Department website found that fine weather is forecast in Pelangai in the morning, while thunderstorms are predicted in one or two places in the evening.
However, Pahang Meteorological Department director Nazian Zainal Abidin when contacted by Bernama confirmed forecasts of thunderstorms in the evening.
The by-election is a three-cornered fight between Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Datuk Amizar Abu Adam, Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Kasim Samat and Independent candidate Haslihelmy DM Zulhasni who is using the car symbol.
Of the three contesting candidates, only Kasim will vote tomorrow at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Felda Chemomoi, since Amizar and Haslihelmy are both registered voters in the Ketari state seat, which is also in the Bentong parliamentary constituency.
The by-election is held following the death of its incumbent Datuk Seri Johari Harun, 53, of BN in a plane crash in Bandar Elmina, Shah Alam, on August 17.
During the 15th general election in November last year, Johari had won the seat with a 4,048-vote majority, defeating Kasim Samat of PN who garnered 3,260 votes, Ahmed Wafiuddin Shamsuri of PH (2,031 votes) and Isa Ahmad of Pejuang Tanah Air (65 votes).
The by-election for the Pelangai state seat is the fourth being held after GE15 on November 19 last year.
The first three by-elections were held for the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat on August 12, and for the Pulai parliamentary seat and Simpang Jeram state seat, which took place simultaneously on September 9. – Bernama, October 7, 2023
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