The Malaysian Insight

THE Election Commission said 66% of voters in Cameron Highlands have cast their ballots as at 2pm.

In its latest update, the EC said voter turnout in the Jelai state seat under the federal constituency was 75%, and 56% in the Tanah Rata state seat.

Jelai is a Barisan Nasional stronghold and also where many polling stations in the interior will close early, some as early as 1pm, to facilitate the transport of ballot papers to the vote tallying centre.

The Lemoi polling station is one such centre and had closed at 1pm. Party sources say that BN had won with 159 votes out of 181 people who voted at Lemoi. 

Tanah Rata meanwhile is held by DAP and where most polling stations will close at 5.30pm.

According to an analysis by Pakatan Harapan strategist Dr Ong Kian Ming, the  voter turnout must be above 55%, especially among key PH supporters, in order for the ruling coalition it to have any chance of victory. 

Yesterday, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang made an urgent appeal to outstation voters to return to vote as pollster Ilham Centre said it expected Chinese and Indian voters, who are PH’s biggest supporters, will likely not return. 

A total of 31,639 voters in Cameron Highlands are eligible to choose their new representative in Parliament in a by-election called after a court nullified the results of the 14th general election over evidence of vote-buying.

In today’s parliamentary by-election, voters will have to choose between M. Manogaran of Pakatan Harapan, Ramli Mohd Noor of Barisan Nasional (BN) and two independents, Wong Seng Yee and Sallehudin Ab Talib.

EC chairman Azhar Harun said the turnout was quite high this morning.

“We are hoping to see more voters come out as soon as possible to avoid the traffic congestion. 

“The turnout of voters look very encouraging,” he said after visiting the SM (C) Brinchang today. 

Azhar also responded to former MyPPP president M. Kayveas suggestion that only locals should be able to contest in elections. 

“The Electoral Reform Commitee should look into it. 

“This is not under our jurisdiction,“he said. 

All 29 voting centres – 17 in the Tanah Rata state constituency and 12 in the Jelai state constituency – opened at 8am.

EC said the voting centres – all of them in school buildings – would be closed in stages – namely at 1pm (one centre), 2pm (five centres), 3pm (nine centres), 3.30pm (one centre), 4pm (seven centres), and 5.30pm (six centres).

The EC reminds voters to bring their identity card or any official and valid identification document to polling centres, and to never hand their identity documents to other parties other than election staff.

Voters are advised to cast their ballots early due to uncertain weather and to take into account the closing time of their voting centres.

The votes will be tallied at SK Sultan Ahmad Shah’s Gemilang Hall, and EC will broadcast the process live through its Facebook account with results expected to be known by 10pm.

The vote in Cameron Highlands is the fifth by-election after GE14, with the first for the Sungai Kandis state seat (on August 4); the second and third for the Balakong and Seri Setia state seats (September 8) and the fourth for the Port Dickson parliamentary seat (October 13). – January 26, 2019.