SINGAPORE may be just across the Causeway from Malaysia but to some Malaysians working there, the island republic may as well be on the other side of the world for all the good its short distance from home is doing them.

Malaysia has declared polling day a public holiday, but again, that does not do those working outside the country much good. Wednesday is a working day for them and they must obtain leave if they wish to go home to vote. And even if they were willing to apply for leave, they might not get it.

Bus captain Liew Chin Hong, 27, is among those who will not be casting his vote in the 14th general election. He told the Straits Times that as a large number of his Malaysian colleagues were going back, he could not get the three days of leave he required to get to Selangor and back.

Rina Angraini, 28, who is from Kuala Lumpur, said she would not be voting as the one day off she gets each week was not enough time for her to travel home and back. She said she would have made the trip if polling day was not midweek.

A cleaner identified as Sangar, 21, will be missing his first general election even though he lives in Johor Baru and daily commutes to work. He has opted not to take leave in order to vote, 

The report said a travel company which has offered sponsored rides to Malacca, Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh for Malaysians in Singapore to return to vote, said all 300 seats available were fully booked at first, but a “significant number” had had to cancel because they could not get leave from work.

While some companies such as Ikea in the city state have given their Malaysian employees leave to return home, others require employees to use their annual leave, and yet other more only approved such leave subject to operational constraints.

According to the Straits Times, there are more than 400,000 Malaysians working or living or both in Singapore, who along with Malaysians living in south Thailand and Kalimantan in Indonesia are not allowed to vote by post because the proximity meant they were able to return home to vote.

The Malaysian Immigration Department said that during the elections, 350 officers would be mobilised to keep all the counters open at the two Johor checkpoints. However,it warned that traffic congestion was expected. – May 6, 2018.