Cheu: ‘There is no point in criticising the government if we as citizens do not vote.’
JOHOR BARU: Outstation voters living in Johor have started preparing to return to their hometowns in order to cast their votes in the coming general election.
Marketing manager Christopher Cheu, 29, from Sabah, said he would buy his ticket home once his leave was approved.
“I have not bought my flight tickets as I am waiting for the company to approve my annual leave,” he said, adding that the ticket for him to fly to Sandakan would cost RM600.
Cheu said he would still need to travel for another two hours by car to get to his hometown in Lahad Datu.
“Despite this hassle, I am willing to return home to cast my vote as I want to see my hometown developed,” he said.
Cheu said there was no point in criticising the government “if we do not perform our basic duty as citizens to vote”.
He added that he had opted to remain a Lahad Datu voter despite living in Peninsular Malaysia for the past decade because he wanted to see the right people take charge of his hometown.
Supplier project manager Mohd Arifin Mohammad Lawi said he had also applied for leave to vote.
Jeventha: ‘This is my first time voting in an election and it is time for me to make my voice heard.’
“I am planning to vote in this election as I believe it is my duty as a citizen.
“However, I am waiting for the leave application to be approved,” he said.
He said he had applied for a few days’ leave to return to his hometown in Terengganu, which is a seven-hour drive from Johor.
“It will be too exhausting for me to travel back and forth in just two days over the weekend,” said Mohd Arifin, who lives in Johor Baru but works in Singapore.
Technician M. Jeventha, 29, said she and her husband would travel back to Perak one or two days before the election.
“This will be my first time casting my vote in an election. I think it is time for me to make my voice heard.
“My father has been encouraging me to vote for many years and I am finally heeding his advice,” said Jeventha, who lives in Johor Baru but works in Singapore.
She added that the trip home would also allow her to see her family.
