First-time voters want MPs to bring changes to Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: Four cousins who were among the young and first-time voters in Sabah want the parliament candidates elected by the people to bring positive changes to the state.
Darlene Sylvester, 19, wants the candidates that won in the election to carry out their responsibilities well and not give empty promises.
“I also want them to listen to the voice of students like myself and ensure education facilities at schools at universities are ample and safe,” she said.
Darlene, a matriculation student, said that she came back from Labuan to vote.
She said that many students living away from their family are struggling with the places they stay.
“They need to pay for their tuition cost, the cost of their lodging and it is difficult, especially for those in the B40 group and also in the M40 group,” she said.
Darlene also said that she is not totally ignorant about the politics in Sabah and aware of politicians like Datuk Shahelmey Yahya in Putatan and Datuk Darell Leiking in Penampang.
Her cousin, Maya Hejnowska, 22, who is also a first-time voter felt that voting is every citizen’s responsibility.
“Everything went smoothly and efficiently at the voting centre,” she said on her first voting experience.
She said that she hopes that the candidates elected by the people would strive to make good changes in Sabah that would be beneficial for the people in the state irrespective of race and religion.
This hope is shared by Darlene and Maya’s cousins, Devnia Nathalie and Darrel Nathan, who came all the way from Kuala Lumpur to vote in their hometown.
“It was nerve-wracking, and exciting. We waited for two hours at the line for our turn to cast our vote as responsible young Malaysian citizens. We hope that whoever wins the election will make this country great and fulfill their promises to the people,” said Devnia.