Polling: 8am to 5pm

Vote count: From 6pm

Results: 8pm

PHOTO GALLERY l VIDEO  

 

---

Voters in Merlimau, Malacca and Kerdau, Pahang make their decision today on who to pick as their state representatives after a relatively lackluster eight-day campaign.

They have a choice between incumbent Umno or opposition party PAS. Given that both state seats are BN strongholds, many have expected that the ruling coalition will emerge victorious.

Political analysts will be looking at the winning majority and the size of the swing among voters, if any. This will give an indication of how the various parties will fare in the upcoming general elections, that some expect will be held within months.

In Kerdau , the battle between the two rival parties is to prove who has the support of the Malay community.

This will be a significant contest for Umno and PAS as sentiments there will serve as a barometer for overall rural Malay support for the two parties in Pahang.

The weather is predicted to be overcast for most of the day, and barring rain, the Election Commission expects about 80 percent of the 8,999 registered voters to cast their ballots.

            

There are 13 polling districts with a total of 22 polling streams in this sleepy constituency near Temerloh, where nearly 90 percent of the electorate are Malay.

PAS candidate Hassanuddin Salim , who contested and lost the seat in the 2008 general elections, will cast his vote in Teluk Sentang while BN's polls debutante Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad will cast his ballot at Kuala Tekal.

The seat fell vacant on Feb 12, after the sudden death of BN incumbent Zaharuddin Abu Kasim due to a heart attack.

In Merlimau , the situation is slightly different.

With 64.9 percent Malay voters, 20.8 Chinese voters, 14.8 Indian voters and 0.2 others, semi-rural Merlimau is a mini-Malaysia and the results of polling day on this cloudy day will provide hints on how the parties perform in mixed seats.

Most of its seven polling stations have a good mix of races, although Chinchin (PAS candidate Yuhaizad Abdullah's hometown), Permatang Serai (the only station won by PAS in 2008) and Pengkalan Samak have more than 60 percent Malay voters.

Ayer Merbau has the largest number of Chinese voters at 273 votes while Jasin Lalang and Merlimau Utara have large portions of Indian voters at 357 and 229 voters respectively.

Merlimau Pasir, where BN candidate Roslan Ahmad ( left in photo ) will vote today, is a BN stronghold with the coalition taking three quarters of the vote in the mixed-race polling station in 2008, while Yuhaizad is a constituent of neighbouring Rim.

The Election Commission is targeting a turnout of 80 percent but is advising voters to vote early as a thunder storm is expected later in the day.

The seat fell vacant in Jan 20 upon the death of BN representative Mohamad Hidhir Abu Hasan.

LIVE REPORTS

8am Kerdau : The polling stations are officially open. The weather is cool. It rained in this rural constituency in central Pahang late last night.

The traffic is moving slowly though there are not many cars on the road on this early Sunday morning.

Some voters are already queuing outside the polling stations to be among the first to cast their ballots. 

8.15am Kerdau : The sun is shining brightly despite the prediction of overcast skies, as BN candidate Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad casts his vote at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Teluk Sentang.

Despite having just four hours sleep, he is upbeat and ready to go on his rounds visiting polling stations in the constituency, as customary of contesting candidates.

"I feel spirited, how can I not be? I hope voters will come out in force to fulfil their responsibilities," he said.

8.10am Merlimau:  At the Merlimau Pasir polling district, two TV reporters from Aljazeera are chased out by the police from the school compound as they tried to interview voters.

The police prohibit the TV station from doing the interviews inside the compound.

Voters begin to turns up at SK Merlimau to cast ballot. This polling district has 2,180 voters. BN won with a 393-vote majority here, bagging a total of 985 votes in the last election.

This is the polling centre where BN candidate Roslan Ahmad will cast his vote.

8.40am Merlimau: Roslan Ahmad queues up at one of the polling saluran only to find himself entering the wrong room to cast his vote.

That causes a bit of a stir among the photographers as they have to rush over to the other room.

845am Kerdau: In SK Tekal, both BN and PAS campaign workers are seen helping elderly voters to enter the polling station.

BN workers wear red T-shirts with 'Gelombang Merah' (red wave) slogan while the PAS campaigners are mostly the party's Unit Amal (security unit), who are in maroon T-shirts.

There are no 'pondok panas', which have been banned by the Election Commission (EC). These are make-shift stalls set up by the contesting parties to help voters find their polling stations. Instead, the EC has set up its own 'pondok panas'.

9.01pm Merlimau: PAS Merlimau candidate Yuhaizad leads a doa at the PAS camp of about 100 people, while another 100 on the BN side heckle them.

The BN side is made up mostly of young men from Selangor. They yell out "Parti Ajaran Sesat!" and "Berdosa" when PAS sings religious songs.

About 76 percent of voters at the Chinchin polling station are Malay. This is Yuhaizad's hometown.

PAS garnered about a quarter of the votes here in 2008.

9.16am Merlimau: In retaliation, several PAS supporters who are facing Puteri Umno, chant "mengandung, mengandung (pregnant)" to loud jeers from BN. The PAS men are later stopped by their leader.

9.25am Merlimau: BN candidate Roslan Ahmad and wife are outside the polling centre with some 350 passionate BN supporters. A few of them are already congratulating him for his "victory".

The streets are bathed in pink (Puteri Umno) and red (Wanita Umno) waving BN flags and continuously sing "Inilah Barisan Kita".

Over at the PAS side, there are only about 50 supporters, the majority of whom are female and elderly, while the men are standing at the back. They sing religious songs.

9.28am Kerdau: EC chief Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof announces that as of 9am, the voter turnout was 15.55% with 1,399 having cast their votes. 

Merlimau: Voter turnout for the first hour - 14% with 1,500 voters having gone to the ballot box.

9.35am Merlimau: PAS supporters complain that the police are being unfair to prohibit PAS supporters from crossing the parameter set up around the polling station, while BN supporters are allowed to do so.

PAS Unit Amal member Md Razi Jamaludin, 38, expresses his dissatisfaction over the matter. He denies that the party’s spirit is low due to the expected defeat in Merlimau.

"Our spirit is still high and we are optimistic of winning, but our supporters have to split between the two by-elections, and further we have to send part of our team to escort Yuhaizad," he added.

9.42am Merlimau: the most vocal from the BN lot in Chinchin are from NGO Skuad Teraju Elit Pemuda Selangor (Steps), which have been seen at anti-state government demonstrations in Selangor.

9.47am Kerdau: PAS candidate Hassanuddin Salim visits Desa Murni polling district and greets a voter who is checking her polling station at the EC counter before casting her vote at SMK Kerdau.

A huge crowd of about 200 and 100 from PAS and BN respectively has gathered along the roadside opposite each other. They are chanting slogans, taunting each other.

The PAS crowd chant "Long Live Islam", "Destroy corruption", while the BN side responds with "Lies" and "Long Live BN".

“There has been very good response from the voters,” said Hassanuddin before greeting the supporters from both side.

He spends less then five minutes at this polling district before leaving to visit the next one.

Desa Murni comprised of 1,343 voters, which is the second largest polling district in the Kerdau state constituency. BN won the polling district in 2008 with a 96-vote majority.

The racial breakdown of Desa Murni are Malays 94.9%, Chinese 0.6%, Indians 0.55% and 0.45% voters from other races.

9.56am Merlimau: Business is brisk for a keropok lekor stall across the street from the polling station. The owner, Mohd Zaid, who is a local of Chinchin, said that the stall has been open since 7am. He and his wife voted as soon as the polling station opened at 8am.

"We expect to close at 6pm," he said as he rushed to make drinks for a long line of thirsty patrons.

10am Kerdau: "It's fun," said Amran Ibrahim, a voter who stay nearby SMK Kerdau after casting his vote at Desa Murni polling district in the school.

10.05am Merlimau: A BN motorbike convoy moves around Merlimau town and honks non-stop. The bikers wear BN blue shirts and carry BN flags.

10.17am Kerdau: About 100 PAS and BN supporters are mingling with one another in SMK Felda Jengka 25.

Unlike other polling stations, they do not taunt their rivals and appeared relax. Both sides nevertheless urge voters to support their respective parties.

Vehicles which are ferrying voters are abiding EC’s instructions not to put party logos on them. Instead each has either a blue or green paper on its windscreen as an identification.

10.20am Kerdau: A traffic police officer stationed at Felda Jengka 25 says the traffic situation was quite chaotic earlier in the morning, with many "outsiders" coming in to "look around".

Despite only having one way in and out of the settlement, he says he doesn't expect the traffic to get so congested after making the main road one-way.

But he chuckles when recounting his senior officer's insistence that they enforce the law strictly in the settlement.

"He came for a short while and told us 'if you see anyone not wearing a helmet or holding up a (party) flag, saman, je (just fine them)!

"It's easy for him to say. This is their kampung. If he insists on fining everyone, then he should do it himself. I'm just here to make sure things are orderly," he says, taking a final drag of his cigarette before going back to managing traffic.

10.30am Kerdau: The turnout rate so far for Kerdau by-election is believed to have already exceeded 40%, says Election Commission deputy chairperson Wan Ahmad Wan Omar.

At 10am, he says, the turnout rate for Kerdau had reached 37%, so the rate should be higher by now.

"If the turnout rate can reach more than 50% by noon, it's in a very good position to exceed 80%.

"The polling process is going smoothly and good," he tells the press when visiting SMK Kerdau in the Desa Murni polling distric.

Speaking of the crowd made up of both BN and PAS supporters who have gathered in front of the school confronting with each other, Wan Ahmad laments both side still are not following the rules and regulations.

He says this will cause problems for the police and might be a cause of provocation to the voters.

"The voters may feel afraid if the situation gets out of control. This will sabotage democracy," he says before leaving the polling district to the next one.

10.32am Merlimau: Voters turnout as of 10am - 30% or 3,175 voters.

Kerdau: Voters turnout as of 10am - 36.25% or 3,262 voters.

10.39am Merlimau: In the Ayer Merbau polling centre, SRJK (C) Merlimau, BN supporters are heckling PAS supporters, who are mostly women.

"Ni semua nak mati dah!" one man yells out to elderly PAS supporters from Johor.

10.43am Kerdau: At SMK Jengka 25, most of the PAS and BN supporters are outsiders. The number of residents is not very large, with many voters familiar with each other.

Many locals are heard querying the supporters: "Where are you from, ya? I've never seen you before."

10.45 pm Merlimau: In Ayer Merbau, BN supporters yell "Si ketot!" (It's Stumpy!) "Failed candidate!" and "The Sodomy Squad!" as PKR youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin ( right ) arrives.

A middle-aged PAS supporter from Johor, Rokiah Bakar mutters "Manusia macam setan. Rosak orang macam ni." ("Like devils, these humans. People get corrupted this way").

She steps on a BN flag saying that it is "syirik" (idolotry) for Muslims to use the dacing symbol, before resuming to sing religious songs.

10.45am Kerdau: The roads are congested at Felda Jengka 25 as cars jam the small roads. The police are now making all roads one-way.

10.45am Merlimau: At the polling centre of Merlimau Utara, SK Merlimau 2, both BN and Pakatan embark on a shouting match, expending great effort to get the voters to cast ballots for their own candidate.

It ends up, however, as personal attacks.

10.50am Kerdau: PAS’ Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man and PKR vice-president Fuziah Salleh visits Felda Jengka 25.

According to Tuan Ibrahim, PAS is depending on the young voters, who make up 38 percent of the 8,999 voters.

"If they all come out, insya Allah , we have hope,” he tells Malaysiakini .

He still expects a BN win, but with less than a 1,000-vote majority.

10.52am Merlimau: About 20 BN supporters march over to the Ayer Merbau polling station, sparking a shouting match with their rivals from Pakatan.

PKR Youth yell " Sapu Malaysia " (Clean out Malaysia) and "1Islam!" every time the BN Youth shout chant "1Malaysia!"

They exchange pejoratives against each other, with BN supporters chanting “Liwat! Liwat!” and PKR members shouting back in reply, “You want it so much, turn around!”

Ayer Merbau has the largest number of Chinese voters among the seven polling districts, and is where the PKR operations room for this by-election is located.

10.55am Merlimau: PAS candidate Yuhaizad Abdullah visits the polling centre at SK Merlimau 2, which serves voters from Merlimau Utara, where 42.3% voters are Malay, 17.1% Chinese and 40.1% Indian.

The BN candidate won over Merlimau Utara in the last election with 234 votes, while PAS got 174 votes.

11.05am Merlimau: At Ayer Merbau, Federal Territory Wanita Umno member ‘Kak Zabedah’ says she has been in Ayer Merbau since Feb 25.

"This is for the country," she says, before yelling "Come into BN, leave the pancake (PAS)."

11.10am Merlimau: At SK Merlimau 2, the atmosphere begins to heat up when Malacca CM Mohd Ali Rustam arrives to visit the polling centre and the shops nearby Merlimau Utara.

Pakatan supporters jeer loudly and shout " rasuah, rasuah " (corrupt, corrupt) continuously.

When interviewed by Malaysiakini , Ali Rustam ( centre in photo ) denies the jeers.

"No, Umno is clean. It’s they (the Pakatan states) which are corrupt," he adds, citing alleged ‘robbery’ of timber in Kelantan over the past 21 years and stealing of sand in Selangor.

When asked the disciplinary action taken by Umno for money politics, he goes quiet.

Moments later, he lashes out at Pakatan, calling its supporters "bloody fools".

"They are bloody fools. They have no morals. Ya lah , they are bloody fools," he says.

BN supporters are seen carrying a banner written " Selamatkan Malaysia dari Pembohongan " (‘Save Malaysia from the lies).

11.14am Merlimau: Ayer Merbau voter Lim Lam Seng ( right ), 50, sings praises for BN.

"The roads are all lit so we're never scared of being mugged at night. Now they are building a water theme park in Chinchin, which will create more employment," says Lim, who has been an MCA member since 1983.

MCA has a strong presence in Ayer Merbau.

PAS supporters are observed to be more civil than PKR supporters. Earlier PAS supporters had ignored BN jeers, while PKR indulged in a shouting match.

11.18am Kerdau: A small quarrel is reported to have broken out between BN and PAS in front of SMK Kerdau, the Desa Murni polling station.

A supporter from PAS alleges BN supporters crossed the road and tried to provoke the PAS crowd.

"One uttered some lewd words against us, but were chased (away) by us," he said.

When asked if any action was taken by the police the time, he says, "Police won't take action against their people."

Meanwhile, Temerloh MP Saifuddin Abdullah also shows up.

"It's part of a show. Everybody wants to join the show. It doesn't matter anymore," he says commenting on the yelling and chanting by both sides.

When asked about the 'quarrel', BN supporters deny its wholesale.

11.25am Kerdau: At SK Jengka 25, more have gathered in front of the entrance to the school. Sloganeering and shouts of support for either party is heard only rarely.

A large number of police personnel have been deployed here. PAS supporters are following EC's orders not to set up a ' pondok panas '. The same thing cannot be said of the BN supporters.

11.30am Merlimau: The situation has somewhat died down at Ayer Merbau as the entourage of PKR Youth moves to another polling station.

But middle-aged PAS supporters cannot help themselves when youths from BN heckle them about their beards.

" Janggut sunah nabi! Ni la bodoh, bangang ," one man said (the beard is the practice of the Prophet. They are what you call stupid, fools.”

The man tries to lecture the youths about faith and tell them about wakaf land alleged given away by the Malaccan government. But the BN youth are in no mood to listen, and continue jeering them instead.

11.30am : As of 11am, voter turnout in Kerdau is 54.34% (4,890). Voter turnout in Merlimau as of 11am is 43% (4,571).

11.30am Kerdau: The scene is lively at Felda Jengka 23, where BN and PAS supporters trade jeers as voters pass them headed to the polling station at SK LKTP Felda 23.

There are about 100 supporters on each side, mostly made up of youths, standing on either side of the road leading to the polling station.

The BN supporters however make the most noise, making fun of the other side.

When a car comes up to drop off boxes of bottled water for the PAS supporters, they immediately start jeering, saying the water they have is " murah " (cheap) and " tak sedap " (not tasty).

PAS supporters continue waving their flags in the face of the BN's constant jibes.

The situation nevertheless is largely peaceful, with a clutch of police officers, some armed with pistols and tear-gas guns, standing guard on both sides of the road.

11.32am Merlimau: The day has turned out to be a scorcher despite forecasts of an overcast sky, leading some supporters to abandon their posts to find shade.

There are few rain clouds in the sky, although a thunder storm is expected later today.

11.54am Kerdau: "I had long decided who I should vote," says a voter who calls himself Ng, when approached.

The 70-year-old retiree says that he has cast his vote in more than 10 general elections.

"The most important thing as to who gets elected is (to determine) who can serve and solve the people's problems. Don't just sit around the house and do nothing for the people," said Ng.

The Kerdau polling district comprises of 886 voters, that is 9.85% out of the overall voters of Kerdau state constituency.

Kerdau is made up of 28.8% Malays, 48.2% Chinese, 22.2% Indians and 0.8% voters from other races.

BN won the polling district by a thin majority of 37 votes in the one and only Chinese-majority district in Kerdau.

According to a DAP member, the turnout rate for this district by 11.13am is 372.

12pm Merlimau: MP Kota Melaka Sim Tong Him lodges report at the Merlimau police station, claiming that at 11.45am he was informed by PAS and DAP supporters that somebody was giving out RM100 cash at a house near the Multipurpose Hall at Permatang Bukit Merlimau.

Sim, a China Press photographer and two others went to the house to find out the truth. He said he found an MCA councillor and three others giving money to voters.

The photographer took few snap of photos, but was forced to delete the pictures.

To avoid a fracas, Sim said, he requested the photographer to delete the picture. He left soon after to lodge report.

He said he regards the act as vote-buying.

12.30pm:  Voter turnout as of 12 noon in Kerdau is 65.29% (5,874). In Merlimau , it is 54% (5,746).

12.30pm Merlimau: At SJK (T) Jasin Lalang, which is located inside Jasin Estate, members of the anti-riot unit Light Strike Force have been stationed here since 7am in anticipation of a brawl. No other polling stations are as heavily guarded.

The station serves voters from Jasin Lalang, made up of 51.4% Indians, 12% Chinese, 36.5% Malays and 0.1% others.

About 52 percent of voters at the polling station have voted so far and the situation appears to have quietened down.

PAS supporters, who are singing religious songs, express frustration with the BN supporters, whom they complain are calling them names such as "cows" and jeering them with chants like " Buntut !" (backside).

The BN supporters also try to provoke the female PAS supporters by saying that they should not speak as their voice is ' aurat ' (religiously prohibited from exposing in public).

Police say that there have not been any altercations.

12.30pm Kerdau: The midday heats seems to have sapped the energy of party supporters in the Felda settlements as many seek the cool shelter of nearby trees and have their lunch break.

Aside from the sporadic excitement at the polling stations, life goes on as usual elsewhere in the usually sleepy settlements.

In Felda 23, residents are seen riding their motorcycles to nearby mini-markets and warongs, catching up on the latest gossip and lounging under the shade to shake off the afternoon heat.

12.45pm Merlimau: BN deputy chief Muhyddin Yassin and Malacca Umno chief Mohd Ali Rustam arrive at the polling station for Permatang Serai at SK Merlimau for a short moment. Both leaders choose not to enter the polling station.

As the weather gets hot, BN supporters carry umbrellas and bring the voters to the EC counter.

BN supporters shout, "Vote for Pakatan, end up being sodomised!" Permatang Serai is a Malay-majority area with 82.6% Malay, 16.9% Chinese and 0.5% Indian.

BN defeated PAS at a majority of 453 votes, with total 1,025 votes, while PAS candidate got only 562 votes, back in the 2008 general elections.

1pm Merlimau: It's lunch time at Jasin Lalang and supporters from both camps who were at each others' throats moments ago are now having lunch under the oil palm trees, as are the light strike force.

1pm Kerdau: Felda youth group Aktivis Majlis Belia Felda Malaysia (MBFM), who were earlier seen with BN workers, are resting. Some are playing ping pong in front of their operations centre, which is located about 30 metres from SK Jengka 25. 

1.05pm Merlimau: At the polling station for Permatang Serai, PAS supporters are visibly angry with the police and the EC for allowing BN supporters to breach the barriers to accompany voters to the EC counter.

Female supporters from both sides shout and scream at one other.

A female BN supporter deliberately provokes PAS supporters by walking by close to them like a model, swaying her behind. PAS supporters however refuse to take the bait.

1.25pm Kerdau : As at 1pm, 71.86% or 6,467 voters have cast their ballots. In Merlimau , turnout as at 1pm is 61.38 percent.

1.58pm Kerdau: The road linking Rumpun Makmur polling station and Kerdau is jam packed with vehicles. The cars are hardly moving.

2.25pm Kerdau: As at 2pm, the voter turnout in Kerdau is 75.62% or 6,805 voters having cast their ballots.

Merlimau: As at 2pm, the voter turnout in Kerdau is 66.8% or 7,133 voters having cast their ballots.

2.31pm Merlimau: Rumbles in the sky and dark clouds are gathering. It is likely to rain soon.

 

3.19pm Merlimau: Voter turnout as at 3pm is 72.6% or 7,722 voters.

 

3.27pm Kerdau: Voter turnout as at 3pm is 79.44% or 7,149 voters.

3.30pm Merlimau: At the SRJK (C) Merlimau, after an allegation of vote-buying broke out some 200m away from the school, supporter sentiments run high and a shouting match begins.

A DAP supporter, Tuw Ah Mei, tauntingly waves RM10 at BN supporters, while the rest sing the Chinese New Year song "Gong Xi Gong Xi", which imply the BN supporters have earned well at this by-election.

Pakatan supporters shout "Mongolia", " Jatuh Najib dan Rosmah !" " Duit rasuah !" while the BN side retorts with " liwat !"

3.39pm Merlimau: Heavy rain hits the more northern parts of the constituency, starting from Kampung Lipat Kajang.

Asked if this may derail PAS' target of 78 percent turnout, PAS Merlimau by-election operation director Jasme Tompang is still hopeful.

"People still came out to vote in Tenang, despite the floods," he said.

PAS still believes that they have a chance of a razor-thin majority of 61 votes if enough people come out to vote, especially among the fence-sitters and first-time voters who make up about 15 percent of voters.

3.56pm Merlimau : Federal Reserve Unit trucks whiz through Merlimau Utara, heading northwards of the constituency.

4.10pm Merlimau: A Chinese voter Wu Bee Woon, who owns a small restaurant 30 metres away from polling station at SRJK(C) Merlimau, complains she has no time to vote as she has to work non-stop over the influx of business.

4.15pm Kerdau : As at 4pm, 81.5%, or 7,336 have turned out to vote.

4.30pm Merlimau: Turnout as at 4pm is 76.87%, or 8,181 have voted.

4.43pm Merlimau: As the polls draw to a close, BN and Pakatan supporters at SRJK (C) Merlimau show no signs of letting up.

Foul sign language abounds as the names of leaders like PKR's Anwar Ibrahim and MCA's Chua Soi Lek are mentioned.

Children, who look like they are still in primary school, chant " Anwar kaki buntut !" 

4.54pm Merlimau: Yuhaizad passes by SRJK (C) Merlimau to shouts of " bangsat !" from the BN side.

4.58pm Merlimau: The BN and PAS supporters who were at each others' throats in Pengkalan Samak are now dispersing peacefully. 

5pm Merlimau/Kerdau: VOTING ENDS

All polling stations will begin the counting of votes soon. Results expected at 8pm.

5.34pm Merlimau: Final voter turnout for Merlimau - 78.98%, or 8,435 have voted.

This is higher that in the last general election in 2008, where the turnout was 76.18%.

5.45pm Kerdau: The unofficial final voter turnout in Kerdau stands at 7,480 voters, or 83% of registered voters. The turnout at the 2008 general election was 80.3%.

Election Commission deputy chief Wan Ahmad Wan Omar says they expect all 22 ballot boxes from the 13 polling districts to reach the polling centre at Dewan Tun Razak by 7pm for the final tallying.

"We don't expect this (vote counting) to take long, because there are not many voters at each (polling) stream, averaging between 350 to 400 voters each," he said.

Votes are counted in the respective polling districts before the ballot boxes are sealed and transported to the tally centre. There the EC will announce the final tally.

PHOTO GALLERY l VIDEO