JOHOR BARU – With eight days left before the 15th general election (GE15), Malaysians working or living in Singapore are eager to cast their votes this November 19.
One Malaysian The Vibes spoke to, Iqmal Tajnaen, who works in Tuas, Singapore but lives in Iskandar Puteri, said he is looking forward to returning to Ledang to vote in this election.
“Since I only work during weekdays, I don’t need to apply for a leave to vote in GE15,” said the 36-year-old, who works in the bio-pharmaceutical field.
He said that his employers also encouraged their Malaysian staff to return home to exercise their democratic duty.
“This will be my second time voting while working in Singapore, the last time was during GE14.
“I did not vote in the March Johor state election as I was unable to make it home at that time,” he added.
Meanwhile, a customer relations manager living in Tampines, Andrew Kasavan, said he is excited to come back to vote for GE15 as it will be his first experience voting in an election.
“I’ve never bothered to become a registered voter in the past as I find the process too tedious.
“Since I’m now a registered voter following the automatic voters’ registration (AVR), I am really looking forward to experiencing my first election,” said the 46-year-old Iskandar Puteri voter.
Another voter working in Singapore that The Vibes spoke to, Huda, said that most Malaysians she knew working in Singapore had made plans to come back and vote this time around.
“I used to reside in Singapore but now I travel back and forth from Johor Baru to Singapore for work.
“I applied for leave a day before the election as I am voting in Batu Pahat,” said the 37-year-old engineer.
Polling day for GE15 has been set for November 19, which falls on a Saturday, while early voting will be held on November 15.
In Johor, there will be 96 candidates from major parties including independents vying for 26 Parliament seats in the state. – The Vibes, November 11, 2022
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