SG BAKAP POLLS | Balloting closes at 6pm

SG BAKAP POLLS | Today is polling day for the Sungai Bakap state constituency in Penang.

Pakatan Harapan candidate Joohari Ariffin is up against Perikatan Nasional’s Abidin Ismail in a straight fight.

Malaysiakini reports live from the ground.

Polling ends

6pm: Sungai Bakap, Nibong Tebal - All nine polling centres are now closed, marking the end of the voting process.

Checks by Malaysiakini at the SK Sungai Bakap polling centre found police officers closing the gate at 6pm sharp, while several voters managed to enter to cast their votes just in the nick of time.

A tahfiz school teacher did not make it to the ballot box despite travelling all the way from Kepala Batas, where he resides.

Fourty-three-year-old Mohd Farizal Ahmad says he got stuck in traffic around 2km from Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Bakap.

“It’s too late, what can we do,” he tells Malaysiakini.

SG Bakap polls sees 57.7pct voter turnout at 4pm

4pm: The Election Commission (EC) announces that as of 4pm, 57.7 percent of voters in the Sungai Bakap by-election have cast their ballots.

All nine polling stations, with a total of 65 streams, opened at 8am to facilitate 39,151 registered voters in exercising their democratic right to elect a new representative for the state constituency today.

Polling closes at 6pm and the vote-counting will take place at the Jawi Community Hall in Taman Desa Jawi, Nibong Tebal.

Earlier, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow expressed hope that voter turnout for the day would exceed 65 percent.

- Bernama

Harapan, PN teams breach election laws?

12pm: Sungai Duri, Nibong Tebal - Both Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional (PN) machinery are still actively canvassing for votes about 100 metres from the polling centre.

Despite numerous warnings, one of the police officers on duty says that they tried to stop them from chanting each other’s war cries but had failed to do so.

“For now, we can only control the situation so as to avoid any provocative actions,” he told Malaysiakini.

Campaigning on polling day is against Section 26 (1)(f) of the Election Offences Act 1954.

‘Come out and vote’

1.30pm: Sungai Duri, Nibong Tebal - Addressing the low turnout, Election Commission chairperson Ramlan Harun urges voters to cast their votes as soon as possible.

With the unpredictable weather conditions, he advises voters to cast their ballots early to avoid any inconvenience.

He also expects the turnout to be lower compared to the last state election but remains hopeful that the numbers will increase soon.

As of 11pm, Ramlan said that the overall turnout for Sungai Bakap is at 24 percent.

PAS members pray for Abidin’s victory

11.15am: Puteri Gunung, Nibong Tebal - Several PAS Women wing members take the initiative to pray for Abidin Ismail’s victory.

“Insya-Allah, we hope Perikatan Nasional’s candidate will win this by-election,” says a member who claimed anonymity.

Chow hopes for high voter turnout

11am: Puteri Gunung, Nibong Tebal - Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow hopes that voter turnout would breach the 65 percent threshold for the by-election.

He says that SMK Tasek Mutiara and SMK Boon Heng have the highest number of voters registered, about 8,000 and 5,000, respectively.

“I hope the weather remains clear until evening to ease voters’ participation in the polls.

“Earlier, many predicted poor voter turnout this time around but if we can reach 65 percent and above, it may help the coalition government’s candidate to emerge victorious.”

Meanwhile, the Election Commission reports that as of 10am, 16.74 percent of the voters there have cast their ballots.

Joohari greets election workers, voters

9.30am: Sungai Duri, Nibong Tebal - Pakatan Harapan’s candidate Joohari Ariffin begins the routine voting district visit in what the analyst considered a "black" area for his coalition.

Clad in a light blue shirt, the former educator expresses his confidence about his familiarity with the voting district.

Without any entourage, he walks through every channel in Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Duri and greets election workers and voters with a smile.

Commenting on the sunny weather, Joohari says that he is satisfied with the voter turnout based on his observations this morning.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission says that as of 9am, voter turnout stood at 8.88 percent.

‘Safe deposit’

9.15am: Sungai Duri, Nibong Tebal - Perikatan Nasional candidate Abidin Ismail’s vote is no longer a secret as he gestures number two when asked by the media who he voted for.

“Well, it’s no secret (now),” he says.

Born and bred in Sungai Duri, Abidin says that at least five of his family members are a “safe deposit” for his coalition.

Abidin casts his vote

8.15am: Sungai Duri, Nibong Tebal -Perikatan Nasional’s candidate Abidin Ismail arrives at SK Sungai Duri to cast his ballot.

Abidin, 56, who donned a white shirt, can be seen waving at the public upon arrival before casting his ballot at 8.20am.

Voters excited

8.07am: Sungai Duri, Nibong Tebal - Both young and senior citizens are excited about exercising their voting rights, queueing up at the voting area as early as 7am.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, siblings who refused to be named, said that they went to vote early as they had to go to work soon after.

For the record, Sungai Duri is considered a “black” area for Pakatan Harapan as they lost in the voting district in the last state election.

Voting starts for Sg Bakap 

8am: Polling day arrives and 39,151 Sungai Bakap voters will cast their ballot to choose their new assemblyperson.

One-hundred twenty-eight postal voters have cast their ballots, which includes 57 police officers.

Pakatan Harapan candidate Joohari Ariffin is up against Perikatan Nasional’s Abidin Ismail in a straight fight. The snap polls came about after its incumbent representative from PN, Nor Zamri Latiff, passed away due to stomach inflammation.

According to Bernama, the Election Commission has set up nine polling centres, with 65 voting streams. Voting will commence from 8am to 6pm and tallying process will be conducted at the Jawi Multipurpose Hall in Taman Desa Jawi.

The Sungai Bakap state poll is the eighth by-election since GE15.

Previous by-elections were for the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat in Terengganu, the Simpang Jeram state seat and the Pulai parliamentary seat in Johor, the Pelangai state seat in Pahang, the Jepak state seat in Sarawak, the Kemaman parliamentary seat in Terengganu and the Kuala Kubu Baharu state seat in Selangor.

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