JOHOR BAHRU, July 9 — Johor DAP chairman Teo Nie Ching has urged Johor voters, particularly those living outside the state or overseas, to exercise their democratic right by returning home to vote in the Johor state election this Saturday.
Teo, who is also Deputy Communications Minister, said the determination shown by Malaysians living abroad, who were willing to sacrifice both time and money to ensure their votes reached home, should serve as an inspiration to local voters.
She shared several touching stories, including that of a voter in Queensland, Australia, who went to the airport in search of someone who could hand-carry his postal ballot back to Malaysia after courier services could not guarantee delivery before July 11.
She also said a master’s student in China changed a flight ticket at an additional cost of more than RM1,000 to return home to vote, while a voter in the United States worked hard to find a Malaysian citizen to witness the completion of the postal voting process.
“All these stories deeply touched me. Those who are so far away truly value their single vote. I hope voters working in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore will also cherish that right and come out to vote on July 11,” she said.
Teo was speaking to reporters after meeting residents of Kampung Baru Skudai together with Kartiyaini Jeyapalan, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for the Skudai state seat, here today.
Meanwhile, Teo reminded the public not to be easily deceived by fake news or fake social media accounts deliberately created to mislead voters in the final stage of the election campaign.
She said the public should become more digitally literate by adopting a ‘verify before you share’ culture to help prevent the spread of false information.
“The internet allows information to be disseminated quickly, but at the same time, fake news can spread even faster. If you’re unsure, don’t share it,” she said.
Meanwhile, Kartiyaini said the PH election machinery is stepping up its campaign to encourage thousands of Johor voters working in Singapore to return home to cast their ballots this Saturday.
She said the campaign is not merely aimed at encouraging voters to return home to cast their ballots, but also at raising awareness of the importance of the state election in determining Johor’s future development.
“The state election is just as important as the general election. A good and proactive state government can bring about change and implement policies needed by the people of Johor,” she said.
As part of the campaign, Kartiyaini said she and other PH leaders were at the Sultan Iskandar Building Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex as early as 5 am today to engage with cross-border workers and remind them of polling day.
“We also boarded buses transporting workers to Singapore to encourage them to return home to vote. The response has been very positive, and we hope this momentum will be reflected at the ballot box,” she said.
A total of 2.7 million registered voters are expected to cast their ballots in the 16th Johor state election this Saturday to elect 56 state assembly representatives for the next term.
