BINTULU: Parents should play their role and convince their voting age children to exercise their rights in the Jepak by-election.
This approach could boost voter turnout on polling day this Saturday (Nov 4).
Zaleha Bujang, 60, said the role of parents in this instance is very important so that everyone fulfills their responsibility to elect their representative.
“We must attract the young people to vote so that they get to know the leader.
“I started voting when I was 21 and it was mandatory to vote that time. Because if I did not, my parents would be angry,” said the mother of four.
Zaleha, who is from Kampung Dato and now residing in Kampung Asyakirin Phase 1, said she will make sure her children know that they have to vote.
Meanwhile, Rapaee Abas, 78, from Kampung Baru Tengah said voting is an obligation that should be carried out by everyone.
“I hope all voters, regardless of youth, will vote for their representative to continue development in this area,” he said.
Seventy-year-old Fariah Suai from Kampung Kuala Sebiew, also made voting a duty an obligation since she was 21.
Hence, she hoped to see many people go out to vote and choose their new representative this Saturday.
“Every time I vote, I will go down in the morning and I am sure the people here will come out to vote in large numbers,” she said.
In the past six Jepak state constituency elections, the voter turnout has never surpassed 70 per cent, with the highest percentage ever recorded being 69.36 per cent in the 2011 state election.
Saturday’s Jepak by-election is a three-cornered fight between Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) candidate Iskandar Turkee, Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) candidate Stevenson Joseph Sumbang, and Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak (ASPIRASI) candidate Chieng Lea Ping.
