BALAKONG POLLS | Drinking enough water and having consistent rest has been the practice of Pakatan Harapan's Balakong state seat by-election candidate Wong Siew Ki to remain healthy during the campaign period.

Wong revealed that although her daily schedule was packed since the campaign began on Aug 18, she had disciplined herself to sleep at least six hours a day.

"With the hot and dry weather, it is very easy to get sick, so my campaign team always advises me to get enough rest, as well as drink plenty of herb and mineral water to stay hydrated.

"I also 'steal' some free time during the campaign to take short naps, as it is not advisable for a candidate to go out and meet voters with puffy eyes due to insufficient sleep," she said after a recent media conference on the upgrading of Jalan Balakong here.

She said besides the Harapan campaign team, her family members had also helped in keeping her health in check throughout the week.

"When my face appears on the television, my mother will call me to remind me to take care of my health during the hot weather, and this also gives a boost to my stamina," she said.

The Election Commission has set a campaign period of 21 days beginning Aug 18, while polling day will fall on Sept 8.

The Balakong by-election is being held following the death of Eddie Ng Tien Chie, who was killed in a road accident on July 20.

In the 14th general election, Ng defeated BN candidate, Lim Chin Wah and Mohamad Ibrahim Ghazali of PAS, with a vote-majority of 35,538.

- Bernama