BERSATU information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan has proposed that the Kedah government announces a special holiday on December 7 in conjunction with voting day for the Padang Serai parliamentary seat. 

The Tasek Gelugor MP said the proposal was meant to make it easier for the people of Kedah to come out and vote on Wednesday. 

“December 7 is an important day for the people of Kedah, especially in Padang Serai. I am quite worried because it is a working day … we must make sure the percentage of people who come out to vote is high,” he said when met while campaigning with Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate for the Padang Serai parliamentary seat Azman Nasrudin in Kulim today. 

According to Wan Saiful, the Padang Serai elections are a yardstick to measure to what extent the PN “wave” actually exists, especially in Kedah. 

The general election held on November 19 saw PN winning 13 of the 14 parliamentary seats contested in the state. 

The Election Commission has fixed December 7 as polling day for the Padang Serai parliamentary seat, with early voting on December 3, following the death of Pakatan Harapan candidate M. Karupaiya. 

Meanwhile, Barisan Nasional candidate C. Sivarraajh also agreed to the proposal to have December 7 declared a holiday in Kedah to ensure a high voter turnout. 

“I would be grateful if a holiday is declared because it will affect our voters as well because Wednesday is a working day for most people,” he said when met while campaigning in Kampung Padang today. – Bernama, November 27, 2022.