Shop till you drop: Mohd Shahri (right) and his wife Lindawaty and their son were in Johor Baru by noon for some retail therapy.
JOHOR BARU: First, they cast their votes like any dutiful Singaporean. Then they wasted no time in making their way to Johor Baru for a brief getaway.
For many of them, shopping was high on the agenda.
Checks at a mall near the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex showed a steady stream of Singaporeans arriving, some with their luggage and others laden with shopping bags.
Heavy congestion could be seen along main roads in the city.
“It was an impromptu decision to make a day trip to Johor Baru,” said cyclotron senior technician Mohd Shahri Seradeen, 49, who came with his wife and son after casting his vote in the morning.
Singapore held its polling day yesterday, which has been declared a public holiday.
Mohd Shahri, who was interviewed at the shopping mall near the Causeway, said he had gone to the polling centre at about 8.30am.
“I had expected to see a long queue, as people normally prefer voting in the morning. But surprisingly, there was no crowd and the voting process was smooth and fast. We were done within minutes,” he said.
As such, he said his family decided on a whim to visit Johor Baru.
He said the traffic heading towards Johor Baru was heavier than usual when he crossed the border at around noon.
“We plan to take the bus back to Singapore in the evening or at night.
“So, we will probably be home by the time the election results are announced,” he said.
As for a senior patient services associate, who only wanted to be known as Rahini, she made a trip here for shopping, too.
“I planned this trip when it was announced last month that the election would be held on May 3. As my family members were also free, we decided to make our way here,” she said.
A first-time voter, she said the voting process was smooth and well-managed.
“We were able to come right after voting,” said Rahini, 24.
She said there was no traffic congestion when she crossed the border in the morning.
Fresh graduate Michael Neo, 25, said he decided to take advantage of the weekend for a short trip here after casting his vote.
“Many of my friends were given an extra day off on Monday. So, we decided to have a short getaway to Johor Baru after voting,” he said.
The voting process went smoothly, allowing him to proceed with his plan to spend his holiday here, he said.
“I visit Johor Baru frequently since my uncle has a vacation home here.
“We usually come here for cafe-hopping, haircuts and massages,” he said, adding that he enjoys visiting Johor Baru.
