(AFP) The election commission deployed a helicopter and spent thousands of ringgit so the only registered voter in a remote area could cast his ballot in Sarawak state elections - but he failed to turn up, the official Bernama news agency reported today.

The election commission sent a mobile team by air to Long Luar, in the Belaga constituency in Sarawak, where they set up a polling station for a scheduled hour between 7.30 and 8.30 am.

They waited, but there was no sign of the unnamed voter, who apparently had better things to do in the jungles and hills surrounding his home.

The election commission spent almost RM70,000 ringgit to fulfill the democratic ideal of a ballot for all, Bernama said.

Apart from the lazy Long Luar voter the elections went ahead smoothly, Bernama said, particularly as a timely high tide in riverine areas facilitated early polling.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's ruling Barisan Nasional coalition is widely tipped for an overwhelming victory in Sarawak.