Umbrellas! Umbrellas! Umbrellas!
As most voters held umbrellas and some wore rain coats, there was initial confusion when security forces in charge of the polling stations barred them from bringing the brolley to the polling station.
Umbrella! Umbrella! Umbrella!
More often than not, this was what was heard at polling stations in the Tenang state constituency as the people, braving the heavy downpour, turned up to cast their votes.
As most voters held umbrellas and some wore rain coats, there was initial confusion when security forces in charge of the polling stations barred them from bringing the brolley to the polling station.
This was such a scene at the Dewan Serbaguna Kampung Paya Merah polling station.
Only Election Commission (EC) workers tasked with helping the voters were allowed to bring the voters in with umbrellas bearing the EC logo, causing a long wait outside the centre.
Seeing this, a reporter working with a news portal called up EC chairman Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof to ask him to comment on the matter.
Abdul Aziz said there was no policy to bar voters from bringing umbrellas into the polling station as long as it did not bear any party logo or name of political parties.
Not long after that, an EC officer on duty at the polling station instructed policemen on duty to secure the perimeter of the polling station to enable voters to bring along umbrellas.
Under election law, material containing the logo of political parties contesting in an election are barred from within the 500-metre perimeter of the polling station.
Despite the heavy rain, it did not dampen the spirit of election workers from both sides, who turned up in full force to make a last-ditch attempt to woo the voters at the entrance of the polling station.
Most of them adjusted well to the wet weather, using either an umbrella or a raincoat.
Among them was MCA Youth chief Wee Ka Siong who was spotted wearing short pants and a pair of sandals.
"This is the first time I am wearing (something) like this for a by-election. Such a wet by-election," he said when asked to comment.
The Tenang seat fell vacant when incumbent Datuk Sulaiman Taha died on Dec 17, due to complications with diabetes. The constituency has 14,753 registered voters, including 18 postal voters.
Malays make up 47.5 per cent of the voters, Chinese (39), Indians (12) and the rest (1.3).
It has been raining over the past few days, dampening the final stretch of campaigning.
- Bernama
