Johor Bomba freezes leave for GE15 and monsoon season

JOHOR BARU: More than 500 firefighters in Johor will be casting their ballots by post, says state Fire and Rescue Department acting director Mohd Rizal Buang.

He said this was because all leave would be frozen for the department's approximately 1,300 personnel from Nov 4 to 30 in conjunction with the 15th General Election (GE15) and the impending monsoon season.

"Due to the freeze, some of our staff will be unable to return to their hometowns in such places as Terengganu, Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak to vote, so they will be doing so by post.

"Those on duty near their polling stations in Johor will be given time off to vote," he told reporters after inspecting the department's assets in preparation for the monsoon season at its headquarters here on Monday (Oct 31).

He said the leave freeze was to ensure that the department has sufficient strength to respond to floods and other emergencies.

Mohd Rizal added that exemptions will be allowed in some cases such as medical emergencies.

"I will also be paying a courtesy call on the Johor police chief on Tuesday (Nov 1) to discuss and coordinate our plans to take on the floods and general election season," he said.

The Election Commission has set polling day for GE15 as Nov 19, with early voting on Nov 15.

Nomination Day is on Saturday (Nov 5).