SHAH ALAM - "Absolutely no plans to return, the sentiment here is we are lazy to vote,” Sulaiman Zahid told Sinar Daily in a jest.
He said he and his hometown friends, who are all working in the Klang Valley, had no plans to return home today to vote in the Johor state election.
The 28-year old said this was a stark difference compared to the 14th General Election where they had convoyed in groups to return on the eve of voting day, which fell May 9, 2018.
"I’m from Permas and I am registered there. I have no idea who is contesting and which party they are from - partly because I am so busy with work and had no time to look it up.
"If I were to vote I would just simply cross off anyone I felt deserved it on the spot, it's better I just don’t vote.
"Plus, I am changing my voting location to Kuala Lumpur. That’s why I don’t really care to be honest.
"I have lost interest in Johor politics,” he said.
He said his parents will not be voting either due to health reasons, adding that only his eldest sister be casting a vote today.
He said his second sister, meanwhile, was in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and decided not to return due to expensive flight tickets.
Sulaiman said he was in the midst of finishing the new house he bought for his parents here in Kuala Lumpur, which will be moving in soon.
He also said that they were not interested to face the traffic congestion as many would surely want to return just in time to vote.
The five people contesting for the Permas seat are Pejuang’s Mahaya Ahad; BN’s Baharudin Mohamed Taib; Mohamed Ridza Busu from Warisan, PN’s Tazul Arifin Nasri and Syed Othman Abdullah from PH.
Meanwhile, 27-year old Fazilah Abidin said there were multiple reasons why she was not returning back home to vote.
She said first, she did not know who to vote for, and second and more importantly, her wedding date was coming soon.
"I’m getting married very soon so I don’t want to take any risks and postpone the event,” she said, citing fears of contracting Covid-19.
Fazilah, who is from Skudai, said she does not even stay there anymore and won’t affect her life much.
She also said it was pointless to vote as things have remained the same for years regardless of the people in power.
"The impact is too small while the risk is just too big for me.
"Not only that, to face the traffic and not knowing who to vote for. Not worth all the hassle,” she, who has moved to Kuala Lumpur for some time, said.
PH candidate Marina Ibrahim is in a three-cornered fight to defend the coalition’s fort of Skudai in the polls today. She is up against Iskandar Puteri MCA chairman Lim Soon Hai representing BN and Khoo Kong Ek of PN.