“I am voting for a government that is here for five years, not five days or five months,” said Mohammed, a Bandar Hilir constituency voter.

The theme of politicians since the 15th General Election has been instability and leapfrogging. The Melaka election abruptly happened after four state representatives withdrew their support for the Chief Minister.

How Pei Yu, voting at Ayer Keroh constituency emphasised that politicians need to buck up and be responsible to avoid any future government dissolutions.

“They need to do better, handle the pressure and focus on their responsibility for the people,” she said.

Melaka, influenced with rich history, faces fierce battles in some constituency. Telok Mas is one of three constituencies to be highly focused on as it is considered a hot seat.

Chief of Melaka Bersatu, Datuk Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen, Kota Melaka UMNO division chief Datuk Abdul Razak Abdul Rahman, Pakatan Harapan’s Ashraf Mukhlis Minghat and Independent Muhammad Ariff Adly Mohammad have their claws out after high intensity in their campaigns.

Paisal Saleh, a voter at Telok Mas, said, “This election is important because the government needs a direction to head to. Let the people be the guide with their votes.”

He added after much provocation from politicians accusing one another of unrelenting issues, he hopes that whatever the results are, all parties can work together.

As of 2 P.M today (Nov 20), the Election Commission (EC) announced that 50 per cent of the 496,195 voters had turned up to vote. All eligible Melaka citizens have until 5.30 pm to cast their ballots.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE