KINABATANGAN, Jan 24 — Despite the challenging journey across a river known for its risks, several residents of Kampung Bilit Seberang made their way to cast their votes for the Kinabatangan parliamentary and Lamag state seats today.

Tourism worker Siti Zamziah Zaini, 42, shared how she, her mother, five siblings, and neighbours began their journey as early as 8 am from the village jetty.

They crossed the Kinabatangan River together to reach the polling station at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Bilit.

The crossing, which takes around 10 minutes, requires careful attention, especially due to the potential risk of encountering crocodiles, known locally as “adu-adu.”

“In our Orang Sungai language, we call them ‘adu-adu,’ which is a term of respect, like ‘grandmother.’ We have our cultural norms and taboos, for example, we always ask for permission to pass, so they don’t disturb us,” Siti Zamziah said, adding that although the journey carries risk, she and her family trust in fate.

“We’ve encountered crocodiles before, but we remain hopeful and proceed with caution,” she said, after casting her vote at SK Bilit.

In addition to safety concerns, another challenge faced by the villagers is the scarcity of private boats. Many must rely on tourist boats or hitch rides with others from the community.

Siti Zamziah said it was common for neighbours to pool their resources to buy fuel for the boats, ensuring they could travel together and support each other in fulfilling their civic duty.

For this mother of three, logistical hurdles like these do not stand in the way of her responsibility as a voter.

As of 10 am, the Election Commission (SPR) reported a voter turnout of 23.31 per cent or 11,256 voters in Kinabatangan and 20.18 per cent or 2,727 voters in Lamag.

The voting process is taking place under clear skies, with the EC hoping for a turnout of over 65 per cent.

The tallying of votes will take place at Dewan Sri Lamag and official results are expected to be announced at 10 pm.

The Kinabatangan by-election sees a three-cornered contest involving Mohd Kurniawan Naim of BN, Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman (Warisan) and Goldam Hamid (Independent), while the Lamag state seat features a straight fight between Mohd Ismail Ayob (BN) and Mazliwati Abdul Malek (Warisan).

The by-elections were called following the death of the incumbent Bung Moktar, 66, on December 5 last year. — Bernama