LAWAS Sept 18 :The result of the battle between
Barisan Nasional's Nelson Balang Rining and independent candidate
Baru Bian will only be known late tomorrow as voters in one of the
34 polling stations in the constituency were not able to vote today.
Polling at the other 33 stations went on as planned but the 157
voters in Long Lellang will only vote tomorrow.
The Royal Malaysian Air Force Nuri helicopter from Labuan which
made two attempts to reach Long Lellang yesterday and another this
morning had to return to base due to strong winds along the Tama
Abu Range. It was carrying Election Commission (EC) officials and
the ballot boxes.
Ba'Kelalan by-election returning officer Abang Kiprawi Abang Rosli,
who called for an emergency meeting upon being informed of the situation,
said later that the ballot boxes from the 33 other stations would
only be opened and counted with those from Long Lellang. "Both candidates
have agreed to this and tonight we have entrusted the Royal Malaysian
Police to guard the boxes. All the boxes will be placed in the Lawas
police station. "The candidates or their representatives will also
be allowed to keep watch over the boxes at the police station,"
Abang Kiprawi said. EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman
said: "Counting cannot start until after all polls have been done.
I have given instructions that no counting is to start until the
Long Lellang ballot box arrives.'' Voter turnout at the 33 polling
stations today is not expected to exceed 75 per cent. Not only was
the EC prepared to extend polling for two days, the candidates and
their supporters were also equally prepared for the unpredictable.
Nelson, who was barred from flying during the campaign period, hopped
on board a privately owned Bell 206 Long Ranger helicopter after
casting his ballot at the Long Langai Primary School near his remote
Buduk Bui village, enroute to the vote tallying centre here. He
said: "Due to the prevailing weather conditions at our area, I was
prepared for this. We have to be patient as the last thing we want
is another untoward incident. Safety is the priority.'' Nelson was
the private secretary to former state assemblyman Datuk Dr Judson
Sakai Tagal who was killed in a helicopter crash at the foot of
Mount Murud, near Ba'Kelalan village, on July 12. Another helicopter
also went down due to poor weather. Three of the seven military
personnel on board died in the crash.
The Ba'Kelalan state seat, which has 7,696 registered voters, is
a predominantly Orang Ulu constituency. The Lun Bawang form the
majority of the electorate, with the Iban and Kelabit making up
the rest. The constituency has six polling districts — Bario
with a total of 1,245 voters; Maligan (1,429); Beriwan (1,187);
Long Semadoh (1,538); Medihid (802) and Medamit (1,495).
|
