Who wants a front-row seat? This Melaka voter cycled 70km all night from Gemas to catch the nominations

MELAKA, Oct 31 — A long bicycle journey from Gemas, Negeri Sembilan, to Bukit Katil did not deter 68-year-old Sitdek Ahmad Ali from being present to witness the nomination process for the Melaka State Election today.

For Sitdek, cycling about 70 kilometres was not merely about reaching his destination, but also an opportunity to witness the democratic process up close and show his support for the prospective leaders who would be chosen by the people.

The senior citizen began his journey from his hometown in Gemas yesterday morning and arrived in Bukit Katil at about 4 am today, after cycling throughout the night.

“I came because I wanted to witness the nomination process and show my support for all the candidates contesting.

“We do not often get the opportunity to witness such a process up close, so I took the opportunity to come here myself,” he told Bernama when met at the nomination centre for the Bukit Katil State Legislative Assembly seat at Dewan Tun Ali, Bukit Katil, here today.

He said that after arriving in the area, he took the opportunity to rest at a nearby surau before returning to the nomination centre at about 7.30 am.

Sitdek said he also hoped to visit several other nomination centres, if time permitted, to follow the developments in the democratic process in the state.

His interest in long-distance cycling is not new. In 2019, he undertook a 2,500-kilometre cycling expedition around Peninsular Malaysia to raise funds to fulfil his dream of cycling to Mecca.

The Election Commission (EC) has set November 14 as polling day for the Melaka state election, while early voting will be held on November 10.

For the latest news on the 16th Melaka State Election, visit https://election.bernama.com/prn/melaka/2026/. — Bernama

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马六甲，10 月 31 日讯——尽管从森美兰州金马士骑自行车长途跋涉到武吉卡迪尔，但这并没有阻止 68 岁的西德克·艾哈迈德·阿里今天到场见证马六甲州选举的提名过程。

对西德克来说，骑行约 70 公里不仅仅是为了到达目的地，也是一次近距离观察民主进程并表达他对人民将要选出的领导人的支持的机会。

这位老人昨天早上从家乡金马士出发，骑车连夜赶路，今天凌晨4点左右到达武吉卡迪尔。

“我来这里是为了见证提名过程，并表达我对所有参选候选人的支持。”

“我们很少有机会近距离见证这样的过程，所以我亲自来到这里，”他今天在武吉卡迪州立法议会席位提名中心（位于武吉卡迪的敦阿里礼堂）接受马新社采访时说道。

他说，到达该地区后，他趁机在附近的清真寺休息了一会儿，然后于早上 7 点 30 分左右返回提名中心。

西德克表示，如果时间允许，他还希望走访其他几个提名中心，以了解该州民主进程的发展情况。

他对长途骑行的兴趣由来已久。2019年，他曾骑行2500公里环游马来西亚半岛，为实现骑行前往麦加的梦想筹集资金。

选举委员会（EC）已将11月14日定为马六甲州选举的投票日，提前投票将于11月10日举行。

有关第16届马六甲州选举的最新消息，请访问https://election.bernama.com/prn/melaka/2026/。——马新社

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早上7点，支持者们就已开始聚集，因为马六甲州的候选人正在提交文件。

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