She was joined by her 70-year-old grandmother, her 49-year-old father, who is recovering from a stroke, her mother and her brother.

Once they arrived at the main road, the family got in their car, which had been left on the roadside, to go to the polling station at SK Gual Periok for the Rantau Panjang parliamentary constituency.

“This is my first time voting. Despite the floods, I’m still excited to cast my ballot.

“I will never forget this experience, especially when we had to wade through floodwaters to vote,” Nur Shafika told Bernama when met in Kampung Tersang here today.

The Jeli community college student said the floods had not hindered her family and other villagers from fulfilling their responsibility as voters.

“Today is our opportunity to elect the representatives who can help us, especially to solve the stagnant floodwater issue,” she said.

Nur Shafika said most residents of Kampung Tersang used their boats to wade through the chest-high floodwaters to exercise their right to vote this morning.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim Rahman, 72, who is taking shelter at the SK Gual Tok Deh temporary relief centre, said GE15 was his first experience of voting as a flood victim.

“I have been here for a week after my house was flooded up to chest level. Until now, the floodwaters have not receded.

“It is indeed a different atmosphere. During the last election, I had to stand in a long queue, but today I can vote as early as 8am because this relief centre is also being used as a polling centre,” he said.