Polling goes smoothly in Kemaman despite yesterday’s fracas

PUBLIC order has been kept and the voting process for the Kemaman parliamentary by-election is going smoothly. 

The Election Commission announced that at 2pm, the voter turnout was 48%. 

Fears of disruption taking place, especially following a fracas that occurred yesterday evening, remain placated as police have made their presence felt since early this morning.

The police had earlier today activated 12 Ops Cantas teams to ensure that day went smoothly, both for voters and the general public. 

Although it is in southern Terengganu, Kemaman is a short drive from Kuantan, the capital of Pahang, as it is beside the boundary between the two states. 

Terengganu Police Chief Datuk Mazli Mazlan had said the teams were stationed in several hot spots identified around the constituency. 

He said as many as 112 other officers have been assigned to facilitate traffic and make it easier for voters to reach the polling stations safely and quickly. 

At about 6pm yesterday, a flashmob held at the Jalan Sulaimani traffic-light junction in Kemaman, which has a road leading to Kuantan, turned chaotic when a scuffle broke out between PAS and Barisan Nasional (BN) supporters. 

The commotion was broken up by group of police officers who were monitoring the situation in the area as the quarrel between supporters of both parties escalated. 

Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, who was there, reportedly said in a video posted on social media that the tense situation was sparked when the door of the car he was in was kicked by PAS supporters as it was passing by. 

Meanwhile, the weather in Kemaman today has been clear with no trace of rain even though the Malaysian Meteorological Department had predicted a shower in several areas today. 

The polling process has been taking place quickly for the average voter who spent just about five minutes to fulfil their responsibilities. 

All 49 polling stations with 244 channels opened at 8am this morning. The polling stations are four state constituencies within Kemaman. They are Kemasik, Kijal, Chukai, and Air Putih. 

The stations will be closed at 6pm as soon as the voting period ends. 

A total of 2,102 Election Commission officers have been appointed to manage the voting process. 

Some 141,790 voters are eligible to fulfil their duty in the by-election. 

BN has fielded former defence chief Gen (Rtd) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor as its candidate, while PAS is represented by Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar. 

The by-election was called following the Terengganu elections court’s decision on September 26 to nullify PAS candidate Che Alias Hamid’s victory in the last general election in November last year. 

Che Alias had in that election won the seat with a majority of 27,179 votes after obtaining 65,714 votes to defeat BN’s Datuk Seri Ahmad Said (38,535 votes), Pakatan Harapan’s Hasuni Sudin (8,340 votes), and Pejuang’s Rosli Ab Ghani (506 votes). – The Vibes, December 2, 2023.