KEMAMAN: A technician who undertook a four-hour journey from Kuala Lumpur to participate in the Kemaman by-election was left disappointed as he missed the opportunity to cast his ballot.
Khairul Anuar Alias entered the SK Chukai polling centre here at sharp 6pm before election workers informed him at the polling station that the voting process had officially ended.
The 43-year-old, earlier spotted running into the polling centre, was minutes later seen walking out of the premises looking dejected.
An upset Khairul Anuar, a registered voter under the Chukai state constituency under the Kemaman parliament here, said he left his house in Ampang, Selangor, at about 2pm and expected to reach the polling centre much earlier.
"I could not leave earlier as I had some important matters. I rushed down(drove), but the traffic was reduced to a crawl upon reaching the Kemaman border. I was caught about 20 minutes in traffic before finally reaching the centre.
"I came back to vote during the state election in August. I made an effort today but missed the chance. I am at a loss for words, feeling both sad and angry," he said when met as he walked towards his car parked outside the centre.
Khairul Anuar also said he pleaded with the polling centre's election workers to allow him to cast his ballot.
"They told me that the time(voting) was over. There is nothing much I can do," he said, adding that he plans to take his wife, who accompanied him here, for a meal before returning to Kuala Lumpur later tonight.
The Kemaman by-election saw Perikatan Nasional's Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar locking horns with Barisan Nasional's General (Rtd) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor.