Singaporeans in Malaysia make the journey home to vote in Presidential Election
Despite postal voting being available this time, many Singaporeans say they still prefer to cross the border and vote in person due to the proximity.
A view of the Causeway near Woodlands Checkpoint.
JOHOR BAHRU: Singaporean Doreen Sim runs a tech company in Kuala Lumpur, and has been residing there for almost two decades.
The 49-year-old missed out on voting in Singapore’s last General Elections in 2020 due to the border closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms Sim said she is excited to be able to return home to cast her ballot in the Presidential Election on Friday (Sep 1), and has been following the campaign action online.
“It is important for me to go back, to really exercise my civic responsibility. Thankfully, Malaysia is close to home,” she told CNA last week.
She added: “The post-pandemic world is going to pose a lot of challenging issues for us. So, it's really important to vote in this Presidential Election because we really need a strong and sound head of state.”
Ms Sim caught a late flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore on Wednesday night.
PREFERRING TO COMMUTE HOME
Ms Sim is among the many Singaporeans in Malaysia preparing to make the journey home – either by air or land – to vote, as there are no polling stations in Malaysia.
Despite postal voting being available this time, many Singaporeans interviewed said they still prefer to cross the border and vote in person due to the proximity.
Traffic jams are expected at the Causeway ahead of Polling Day and over the weekend, as both Singapore and Malaysia have public holidays. Malaysia celebrates its National Day on Thursday while it is a long weekend and the start of the school holidays for Singapore.
Authorities have advised commuters to account for possible delays at immigration checkpoints.
Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in an advisory that heavy traffic is expected at both Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints.
CARPOOLING TO BEAT TRAFFIC
In the spirit of unity, some Singaporeans in Johor are pooling resources to make sure their fellow citizens can cross the border seamlessly.
Singaporean Greg Low, a Johor resident of about 12 years, is spearheading a carpooling initiative.
“We say what time we want to take a car together, and wait at which part of Johor, and from there we find a convenient way to go back to Singapore,” said the 42-year-old, who is the voluntary administrator of a Facebook page that connects Singaporeans living in Malaysia.
“We plan to carpool (because) if we were to take the bus, it’s too troublesome.”
The group is planning to set off at 9am on Polling Day, saying they are familiar with traffic conditions and are confident of reaching their polling stations in time to vote.
Everything you need to know about the Singapore Presidential Election: cna.asia/pe2023
