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JOHOR BAHRU - It was a big day for Johoreans as polling for the Johor state election officially began at 8am, with voters heading to polling centres across the state to decide its next government.
At SK Taman Sutera, one of the polling centres in the Perling state constituency, voters began arriving as early as 7am, forming orderly queues before polling officially opened.
The voting process was smooth, with Election Commission (EC) personnel and police officers on hand to ensure proceedings remained well organised.
Among the early voters was Ong Ik Sim, 78, a retired businessman, who said he had woken up as early as 6am in preparation to cast his ballot.
"I feel happy. I woke up early to get ready to vote because this is my responsibility as a Malaysian," he told Sinar Daily.
Ong also encouraged other eligible voters to fulfil their civic duty.
"To those out there, carry out your responsibility too," he added.
The Perling seat is witnessing a three-cornered contest involving Pannir Selvam of Barisan Nasional (BN), Alan Tee of Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Boo Wei Han of Bersama.
In Kulai, a senior citizen was the first to arrive at the Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) Kulai Besar polling centre, turning up as early as 6.45am on Saturday.
Gan Hin, 70, said he chose to come early so the voting process could be completed quickly before starting his job as a plantation worker in Indahpura.
He said his employer had also given him some leeway, asking him to fulfil his responsibility to vote first before starting work at 7.30am.
"I came early so I could vote quickly and go straight to work. My boss also told me to vote first before going to work," he said.
Lorry driver C Muniandi, 39, admitted he had initially planned not to vote as he needed to work.
However, he changed his mind after realising the importance of fulfilling his responsibility as a Malaysian.
"I came as early as 6.50am because I wanted to finish voting quickly and go straight to work.
"At first, I really did think of just going to work, but in the end I felt that voting is a responsibility as a Malaysian," he said.
Observations found the atmosphere at the SJKC Kulai Besar polling centre, under the Bukit Batu state assembly seat, was calm, with voters willing to queue early to ensure the voting process ran smoothly before continuing with their daily business.
