WITH polling less than 36 hours away, voters have begun their journey home to choose which coalition they believe should govern Malaysia.

Pictures of voters in neighbouring Singapore and Thailand have begun making the rounds, including one showing a convoy of PKR supporters returning to Kelantan from the island-state.

“Selamat perjalanan pergi/balik (Safe journey),” wished one Facebook user Ruhaida Yahaya Moga.

One initiative being promoted on social media is pulangmengundi.com, which offers help through carpooling or cash subsidies.

Volunteers of a movement called Jom Balik Undi have offered to help thousands of Malaysian working in Singapore to return home.

Drivers and passengers submit their travelling plans and contact details and were then matched through WhatsApp. The cash subsidies, however, do not cover air travel.

Some Facebook users lament that while a public holiday was declared for Wednesday, the day is still a workday in countries outside Malaysia.

“Polling day on Wednesday is a big obstacle. A lot of voters from outstation are still not committed to go back to vote due to the hassle of travelling and taking extra leave,” said Facebook user Cs Lim.

Malaysian actor and radio personality Patrick Teoh, who works in Singapore, also released a video today saying he will come back to vote.

Teoh also expressed despair at a political system that “that somehow managed to kick us in the balls for the past 60 years.”

“But with GE14, we can finally make that change. We can finally perhaps get out of the mindset that other people will do things for us and start doing things for ourselves.”

“There are those who of you who will say what for? You are just voting one devil for another. That may be, if we can prove that we can vote another devil, it would at least prove to them and to us that we have the power to make change.” – May 7, 2018.