GUA MUSANG: The atmosphere at SK Meranto, one of the polling centres in the Nenggiri by-election here, was vibrant and distinctive, with the presence of some Orang Asli voters dressed in their traditional costumes to cast their votes.

Ali Lateh, 74, dressed from head to toe in Orang Asli garb, arrived at the polling station at 8.30am yesterday.

The Tok Batin (chieftain) of the Kuala Lah Orang Asli village wore a waistcoat made from the bark of the Ipoh and Terap trees and a hat fashioned out of coconut leaves.

Ali, who is from the Mendriq tribe, said he wore the waistcoat to showcase the uniqueness of the Orang Asli community.

“This is a traditional dress of the Orang Asli.

“It is made from tree bark. It cannot be kept for a long time because the tree bark will rot,” he said when interviewed by Bernama after casting his vote at the polling centre.

The Orang Asli make up about 14% of the 20,259 registered voters in the Nenggiri state constituency.

Meanwhile, Ali’s daughter Rosliza Ali, 25, said she returned to her hometown from Kuala Lumpur by bus to fulfil her responsibility as a voter.

“Because of the distance, I seldom come back to my hometown, but I took leave to come home to vote.

“I bought the bus ticket early, which was soon after the announcement of the by-election, and took four days’ leave from work to come home,” she said.

The Nenggiri by-election was called after the seat was declared vacant by Kelantan state assembly speaker Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah on June 19, following the termination of the incumbent Mohd Azizi Abu Naim’s Bersatu membership.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/08/18/orang-asli-in-traditional-garb-liven-up-polling-day