Spore firm gives 30 Malaysian workers day off to vote in Johor

Other Johoreans working in Singapore, even on weekends, take leave to come back and cast their votes.

Met at the Sekolah Rendah Agama Bersepadu Johor Bahru polling station, Jenny Yong said her boss was very understanding about the importance of Malaysians coming home to vote.

“Our boss understands that we want to vote. I voted for a better Johor. I want development,” Yong, who works in the electronics sector, told FMT after voting here.

FMT also spoke to several other voters who travelled from Singapore for the state polls, including a man who only wanted to be known as Leon.

He said some of his friends, who worked in Singapore, were also able to come back and vote as they do not work on weekends.

“It is my duty to vote,” he added.

Two others who did not want to be named said they took leave to vote as it was their civic duty. They added that they hoped to be able to live and work in Malaysia again.

They were among some of the outstation voters met at the polling centre who made the journey back to vote for the next Stulang assemblyman.

Stulang has been held by DAP since 2013 and is regarded as one of the party’s urban strongholds in Johor Bahru. DAP’s Andrew Chen, representing Pakatan Harapan, is seeking a fourth term and faces candidates from Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional and Parti Bersama Malaysia.

Tan Hong Tat, a chef in his 20s travelled all the way from Penang to vote and expressed hope that the state election would bring meaningful change for Johor.

“I hope something great happens. The (economic) situation is not getting better.

“There are a lot of talented people leaving. As a chef, I don’t want to see talented chefs going overseas to work,” he said.

Also met at the polling centre were a handful of voters who were not born in Johor, but have since changed their voting addresses since they now live in the southern state.

Suzanna Inkas, originally from Sarawak, said she changed her voting address after working as a hairstylist in Johor Bahru. For Suzanna, she was voting with the next generation in mind.

“I voted for a better future for Johor and for our children’s education.”

For 66-year-old waiter Wong Ah Pat, who recently changed his voting address from Melaka to Johor Bahru, the election was deeply personal.

Holding back tears, Wong said he wanted to vote for change as he struggled with the rising cost of living.

“Everything is expensive. At 66, I’m still working as a waiter and there’s no one to help me,” he lamented.