JOHOR BARU, March 9 — Johor DAP today claimed that Putrajaya’s announcement to reopen the country’s borders next month is just a political solution in an effort to silence all Singapore-Johor border-related issues out of the upcoming state election.
Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong said that the border reopening announcement, made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob yesterday, was a political effort to gain traction in the state election.
“Johoreans are keen to know when the border will reopen, as it is not just a matter of the economy for them but also about their livelihood and being reunited with their families.
“The government wants to take this issue out of the election equation yet they do not want to allow Malaysians who are [living and working] in Singapore to come back and vote on March 12,” said Liew in a press conference held at the Perling PH-DAP state election operation here.
He was also accompanied by Johor DAP deputy chief Teo Nie Ching, who is also the party’s Kulai MP.
Liew said he believes that the announcement was a political solution that the ruling Barisan Nasional is advocating.
“We welcome the reopening of the border, but I believe there is too much political calculation involved in its decision,” he said when asked if the decision was a Johor state election goodie.
Teo, on the other hand, said that the reopening of the border was more of an “election punishment” instead of an “election goodie” for Johoreans.
She questioned the authorities on the timing of the announcement that coincided just at the end of the Johor state election campaign period.
“The borders could have been reopened much earlier as we are already prepared.
“Why do we need to wait two to three weeks for the border to reopen when the National Recovery Council had announced that it could be fully opened on March 1?” she asked.
Yesterday, Ismail Sabri said Malaysia will begin the process of transitioning to the endemic phase of Covid-19 on April 1.
He said Malaysia will also reopen the country’s borders on the same date. With that, foreign travellers with recognised travel documents can enter Malaysia freely without having to apply for the MyTravel Pass, which will be abolished.
Ismail Sabri said visitors, as well as Malaysian returnees, who are fully vaccinated, are not required to undergo quarantine upon arrival.
There are less than three days to go before polling day, which falls on Saturday.
Johor has 56 state constituencies, with more than 2.59 million voters who are eligible to cast their ballots this time. The Election Commission is targeting a 70 per cent voter turnout.
