JOHOR BARU: Johor DAP claimed yesterday that the April 1 date for reopening of Malaysia’s borders is to prevent those working abroad from returning to vote in the state polls.
Its chairman Liew Chin Tong said he is disappointed that the country’s borders would not be reopened earlier as advocated by the National Recovery Council (NRC), which had proposed Jan 1 and subsequently, March 1.
Liew said a March 1 reopening would have allowed tens of thousands of Malaysians to return from Singapore to cast their ballots.
“I suspect the real reason for the delay is to prevent Malaysians working abroad, especially in Singapore, from returning home to vote,” he said at a media conference yesterday.
Liew added that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s announcement that the borders would be reopened on April 1 is to placate voters, as this is an important issue for Johoreans, especially those in the southern constituencies.
He said the incoming Johor government should ensure that the Causeway, when reopened, is not congested with human and vehicle traffic.
Liew said if given the mandate, DAP would do its best to generate decent-paying jobs through economic transformation that would attract investors – domestic and foreign – who are committed to creating higher paying jobs.
While the Opposition continues to blame Umno-Barisan Nasional (BN) for the “unnecessary” state election, many believe that the BN coalition still holds an advantage in the state.
Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Khalid Nordin said only with Umno as the dominant party would stability be restored in Johor.
However, Liew claimed Johor Umno had been the source of instability since 2018.
“It was Umno that caused the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, with Bersatu and renegades from PKR. It was also Umno that caused the downfall of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s government. It was Umno that caused Johor to go to the polls.”
Liew admitted that although PH is not perfect, the coalition is the most sincere as far as reforms are concerned, and the most ready to build a clean and dynamic state government.
“Change and reforms can only happen if the old one-party hegemony of Umno is defeated for a second time.”
