SEREMBAN: Senior citizen Tey Hai Eng Yu, 88, has always voted since she became eligible, and even though she was in a wheelchair and had to be transported to the polling station, she could not contain her excitement to cast her vote today.
In fact, her son in-law, Wong Wan Kwai, 62, admitted that every time there is an election, his mother-in-law would get very excited and could not wait to vote.
However because of her advanced age, Tey could not recall the number of times she had come out to vote.
"My mother in-law was born during colonial times even before the Japanese Occupation during World War II. I am not sure when she voted for the very first time, but as far as I know, she has never missed the chance and opportunity to cast her vote.
"Come election season, she gets excited and will ask me when is the election date so that she can go out to vote and she will ask me to take her.
"This has always been the practice ever since she moved in with my wife and I for more than 10 years now," he said when met today.
Tey cast her vote at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Puteri here accompanied by her son in-law and grandson Chong Chein Hing, at about 10.30am.
Wong said that his mother-in-law was still healthy, despite having a number of health issues and requiring assistance to move around, in addition to having trouble hearing and speaking.
"My mother in-law said that she is a true blue Malaysian and she wants to exercise her right and duty by casting her vote while she is still alive as every vote counts in the selection process of choosing the leaders," he said.
Another voter who cast his vote was Chong Nam, 55, who lost his left leg in September 2021 after an air conditioning unit he was carrying fell on his foot.
To move around, he uses a prosthetic leg.
"Just now when I reached the centre, the Election Commission (EC) volunteers asked me if I needed a wheelchair. I said no need because I have a prosthetic leg so I can walk. I am someone who is active and who cannot sit still.
"Even though I have lost one leg and use a prosthetic leg, I returned to work as a driver at my old workplace.
"Coming out and voting is not a problem for me. As a Malaysian, we must come out and vote, it's once every five years, so we must do our duty as citizens to vote. If I can do it, then so can others," he said.