Melaka polls: NRD helps 80-year-old who lost MyKad a day before polling

MELAKA: Losing her identity card just a day before polling did not deter 80-year-old Hasnah Juhudi from exercising her right to vote in the state election today.

Hasnah said she rushed to a nearby National Registration Department (NRD) office yesterday after failing to find her MyKad despite searching for it several times.

Her ordeal did not end there.

While applying for a replacement identity card, she encountered another setback when officers had difficulty scanning her fingerprints. However, their persistence eventually paid off, allowing her to cast her ballot today.

"I went to sort out my identity card yesterday, but my fingerprints were too faint to be detected. The officers said they needed to achieve a reading of 52 per cent. They kept trying until they succeeded," she said at the polling centre at SJK(C) Malim here.

Although her replacement identity card was not yet ready, Hasnah arrived early this morning with a temporary identification document that enabled her to vote.

"I still wanted to vote. Who knows, this might be my last year, right?" she quipped.

Another senior citizen, Najib Ismail, 73, showed similar determination, turning up to vote despite limited mobility following spinal surgery in January.

He woke up at 5.30am and was already queuing at the polling centre by 7.45am to ensure he could cast his ballot without any problems.

For the retiree, neither age nor physical discomfort was a reason to neglect his rights and responsibilities as a citizen.

"It doesn't stop me. We must continue to fulfil our responsibility," he said.

Physical limitations were also no obstacle for English teacher Nur Farha Afikah Ahmad Fazla, 30, who turned up to vote despite having her injured right foot in a cast.

Nur Farha Afikah, who teaches at SMK Lokman Hakim in Kota Tinggi, Johor, took the opportunity to return to her hometown to cast her ballot alongside her family.

"For a better future," she said when asked what motivated her to vote.