KIJAL: The three individuals people who cast early votes in the Kemaman by-election have completed their responsibilities at 10.56am today.
All of them are wives of armed forces personnel.
Razidah Razali, 36, said when she arrived at the polling centre at the Kijal police station, she was surprised because she was the first to arrive to vote at 8:55am today.
"I feel somewhat relieved after fulfilling my duty in the Kemaman by-election. It's not that I'm excited because this is not my first voting experience.
"But I was a little nervous when I arrived and saw many people (journalists). Usually, when I arrive, there's a queue to vote, but this time there were cameras taking pictures," she said, adding that her husband is a soldier at the Territorial Regiment at Kem Bukit Kuang, Chukai.
Meanwhile, her friend Norhayati Ismail, 38, said she arrived here yesterday from Besut to cast her vote early.
"I thought there would be many voters today, but when I read the news, I found out that only three people voted early here.
"This is the first time (I came early). Before this, I was always one of the last ones to arrive to give way to soldiers and police personnel to vote first," she said.
Fatin Syazwani Mat Hussin, 29, said even though it was her second opportunity to vote, there was still a nervous feeling when fulfilling that responsibility.
"I found out about the early voting process this morning when my husband told me to come here. We left Kuantan at 9am," she said.
Previously, Terengganu Police Chief Datuk Mazli Mazlan announced that a total of 387 police personnel and six army personnel eligible for early voting today were directed to cast their votes by mail on Nov 23 and 24.
He said this method had to be changed to ensure that members could focus on rescue and duty during the flood season.
The Kemaman by-election witnesses a contest between Raja Mohamed Affandi, Datuk SrBarisan Nasional (BN) candidate General (B) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor and Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar representing Pas.
The by-election is held following the decision of the Terengganu Election Court on Sep 26 to nullify the victory of Pas candidate Che Alias Hamid in the 15th General Election (GE15).
In GE15, Che Alias Hamid won the Kemaman Parliamentary with a 27,179-vote majority beating Terengganu Umno chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Said.