OUTGOING Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman took a break from his walkabouts and community events yesterday to board a bus with residents working in Singapore across the Second Link.
At Jurong East MRT station, he had breakfast at Wendy’s restaurant and spoke to journalists before crossing back to Malaysia to resume his campaign.
At least 100,000 Malaysians living in the Johor Baru area travel to Singapore to work every day, with a significant number of them due to vote in constituencies where close fights are expected.
With the general election just three days away, Mr Ghani said he wanted to get a sense of their daily experience commuting.
“It takes quite an effort to travel to work for them – more than an hour one way, even longer going home because of the congestion,” added Mr Ghani, who spent about an hour in Singapore.
His trip drew a response from his opponent in Gelang Patah, opposition veteran Lim Kit Siang.
“If I go there, I’ll be accused of being a stooge of the Singapore Government,” Mr Lim told The Malaysian Insider.
Malaysian election laws do not prohibit candidates from going overseas to canvass for votes.
Election Commission deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said: “Candidates are allowed to meet voters anywhere they live.”
Singapore’s laws are different.
“No one is allowed to publicise a cause or campaign, or demonstrate support for or opposition to any persons or government without a police permit,” said a Singapore police spokesman.
Mr Ghani, who did not carry any campaign material, told reporters the ride was smooth. But, he added, travel would be much more convenient when a Rapid Transit System linking Johor Baru to Woodlands is ready by 2018.
Proposals for the crossing, including its design, should be presented to the governments of Malaysia and Singapore before the end of the year, he added.
“When completed, people will move to and from Singapore more efficiently,” he said.
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responding to media queries, said it was surprised to hear about Mr Ghani’s visit.
“We were surprised to learn from the media that Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman was in Singapore to look at connectivity initiatives between Singapore and Johor,” it said in a statement. “We are sure that all Malaysians and Singaporeans will welcome better connectivity.”
Mr Ghani also noted that while there were ample job opportunities in Johor itself, the stronger Singapore dollar saw many Malaysians opting to work there.
But, he added, Johor would also offer more challenging employment options as the Iskandar Malaysia development region takes off. It will create more than 500,000 jobs across various sectors in the next five to eight years.
“It is inevitable people look at real incomes, and in that sense, Iskandar loses a lot of skilled workers. But a rise in wage levels will certainly happen,” he said.
“There are groups of voters I have yet to reach, and I will try to connect with them.”
zakirh@sph.com.sg
Johor Menteri Besar makes trip to Singapore - The Straits Times
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