CHUKAI, Dec 2 — Despite being on duty during the Kemaman by-election, an oil and gas industry worker did not let it deter him from fulfilling his voting responsibility today.

Kamal Abd Wahab, 37, clad in an orange coverall, attracted attention as he cast his vote at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Geliga.

Working at Telok Kalong Yard, Kamal said that he had obtained permission from his employer to take a brief break to cast his vote for the parliamentary seat by-election.

"I am grateful that my employer granted a brief release to cast my vote, and I don’t want to miss this opportunity, even though it’s the third time I am voting this year,” he told Bernama.

The Kemaman parliamentary by-election witnessed a one-on-one contest between Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate, General (Rtd) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor, and Terengganu Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, representing PAS.

The by-election was held following the decision of the Terengganu Election Court on September 26, which nullified the victory of PAS candidate Che Alias Hamid in the 15th General Election.

For senior citizen Low Ah Looi, 69, from Kampung Pengkalan Cicar, the excitement of casting her vote for the third time this year is still palpable.

"I am still excited because this responsibility is important; even though it’s just one vote, it is very valuable and can change the outcome,” she said when met while casting her vote at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultan Ismail.

Meanwhile, Suhaila Abd Rahman, 44, and her daughter, Balqis Nabilah Muhammad Azwan, 19, were among the earliest voters to arrive at the polling centre at Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Baru Kertih.

Suhaila said that they arrived at 7am, and waited for the polling centre to open.

"We came early to quickly cast our votes because, after this, we are heading straight to Johor to take my daughter back to campus at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia,” she said. — Bernama