Bigger turnout this time around

'People are not just hoping for change, they are also creating change'

PETALING JAYA: For the people voting in the Petaling Jaya Utara parliamentary seat, the 13th general has had a marked difference in the number of voters.

“There’s a bigger crowd turning up to vote this time around.

“Everybody is not just hoping for change but they are also creating change,” said 61 year old Alex at Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Tunku today.

Alex who does sales is still working because “I can’t afford to not work and this is due to the high cost of living,” he said .

For Azimah Othman, 62, everything was faster during the last general election.

“Last time around, everything was fast and I did not have to wait as long as today,” she said.

When asked if this could be due to the indelible ink being applied thus causing a delay in the voting process, she said although this may be one of the factors involved, the major cause of the delay lies on the management front.

As for her hopes in the election, she said: “I hope that the government will have a higher realisation of their mistakes.

“Issues such as poverty should be addressed.

“From what I know, 40% of the population earns below RM 2,000 and 80% of them are Malays,” she said.

She added that if the ruling coalition were to win again this time around and still not address these issues, then it would be a dangerous situation for the nation.

Mahawi Harun, 59, vented her frustration with management done by the Election Commission (EC).

“We waited for almost an hour, only to be told that we had to queue up at the other side,” said Mahawi who told FMT that she and about 15 other voters had been told by EC officials to queue at a different line.

“This is my complaint against the EC; why do they employ these kind of people.

“They should have organised the voters properly and not push people to go here and there,” she said.

A septuagenarian who declined to be named said first aid services should be made ready for voters in cases of emergency.

“An old lady with a walking stick fell and first aid should have been administered, however she was only put in a car after that.

“But the people were very helpful, they helped her up and even brought a chair for her,” she said.

Thomas Barghese, 85, expressed his hope for a BN win.

“I want the BN to win because of their experience. The opposition is still new, they have a long way to go.

Barghese however expressed his unhappiness with the pension he has received thus far.

“The pension is insufficient as my wife is bedridden and I am too old to work,” he said.

Both senior citizens also complained that facilities should have been given to aid the elderly.

“I was fortunate to be permitted to vote earlier due to me using the wheelchair but my other friends had to stand for a long time, and most of them cannot stand for a long period of time.

“The officials should have provided more chairs for the elderly to sit,” he said.