JOHOR BARU: Qistina Tasha Mohd. Farid and Mohd Haikal Rosli, both 19, are excited about being first-time voters in the Johor state polls that must be held before March 23.
The college students are keen to exercise their right to vote, having qualified by the July 2019 constitutional amendment that granted automatic registration to people aged 18 and above.
Before the amendment, a voter had to be 21 years old to vote and must register on their own accord.
Qistina and Haikal are among 750,000 new voters who have been added to the electoral rolls in Johor since the last election in May 2018.
There were 1.8 million voters for the previous polls. Now there are 2.5 million voters, a huge increase due to the coming into force of Undi18.
"I'm excited I can exercise my right to vote. As a Malaysian, I will vote as I consider it my duty as a citizen," said Qistina.
But her excitement is tempered by awareness that the threat from Covid-19 has not abated.
"The country is still with the pandemic. And if we were to go out to vote we need to take extra precautions by following all the SOPs," she remarked.
"Honestly, this election could have been deferred to another time when things are more peaceful and people are ready," she opined.
Haikal shares Qistina's excitement at being a first-time voter.
"I'm looking forward to this election as I will see for the very first time the process of how people vote. This is something I cherish as I'm voting in my home state," he said.
"This is not the right time for an election when we have just passed the pandemic. Lives have been lost because of the deadly virus. Therefore the government must ensure all precautions are taken," he added.
Another first-time voter, Jewel Nambiar, 24, a final year medical student, also felt that the election is unnecessary as the "pandemic has yet to settle and the official term of the government has yet to be completed."
"It will cause another huge amount of spending and with all the mechanisms in place to comply with the SOPs, it is going to cost more by using up the money from the taxpayers."
Another first-time voter Jacqueline Hannah Albert, 25, a chambering law student, is also elated by the prospect of exercising her right to vote.
"This election would allow me to exercise my constitutional rights to vote. This is not only important for me but the people who have been longing for change," she said.
"For youths like us, we still have hope and believe in the system of democracy. This election is going to be different because the Johor polls will be the first to have Undi18 voters.
"Even if the rakyat think there is no need for it, we must come forth and vote, and fulfil our responsibility. If you want to change, then vote," opined Jacqueline.
However, not all share the excitement of the youth who are keen to vote.
Secondary school principal Sharifah Junaidah Syed A. Rahman, 55, pointed to the inconvenience of holding an election when the STM and STPM public examinations are due in March.
"Schools will be used. With the SOPs things will be more tedious. This can be quite a strain for the school staff as we need to do much preparation," said Sharifah.
"To me, I think if the election can be pushed to a much later date would be good. By then things would be much easier and SOPs would be less," she remarked.
Senior citizens agreed with Sharifah's views.
Joseph Teng, 70, senior executive in a logistics company said the election is unnecessary and a waste of public funds.
"The money to be incurred could have been channelled to the families that were affected by the recent flood in the state and the amenities that were destroyed."
He also expressed fear that the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, would prevent people from coming out to vote.
"We will have many SOPs to follow. We do not want another major lockdown," he said.
Freddie Lee, 70, a company executive director, also agreed that there is no urgency for a snap election.
"I see no need for a snap election. The state government is still stable despite having only a one-seat majority," said Freddie.
"Now that an election is called we hope the new representatives will work for the rakyat and not abuse their power or enrich themselves.
He stressed the election will be a new ball game as there is now a big sector of new voters from the UNDI 18 youth and younger registered voters.
"They can create surprises," he remarked.
Asri Katni, 43, a restaurant manager, raised questions about the cost of the polls.
"This election is going to cost the state government a bomb. We must know the country is still suffering from the pandemic and now we have Omicron," said Asri.
"Why the need for an election now. Can't we wait till everything has been settled? People are still in fear of going to crowded places," he elaborated.
Lee Chin Guan, 52, a licensed real estate agent, said the polls would be held in a very different atmosphere to the May 2018 general election.
"Fear is still there. Some may not now vote this time due to border closure and the strict SOPs," he said.
"No doubt, the polls are needed as we have to have a strong and stable government to attract foreign investors. Johor is very strategically located beside Singapore, thus we must have a strong government to maximize the potential of our proximity to Singapore," added Lee.
Norliana Tajudin, 41, a security guard lamented that it will be a hassle to vote this time.
"When I voted in the last election it was with ease. But now I think there is going to be lots of SOPs in place. Temperature taking, social distancing and wearing of face masks. All these can be very tedious," said Norliana.
"I think now is not a good time for a state election as we saw what happened to Melaka and Sarawak. Not a good turnout. The same might happen here too," predicted Norliana.
"Please look after the needs of the rakyat. The rakyat is suffering from the pandemic and the poor economy," she grumbled.
Yvonne Loh, 59, a hotel communications consultant, said the authorities need to plan and be well organised.
"The pandemic is not over especially now with the Omicron. It is a dangerous time. Just because there are boosters we become complacent. Crowd control will be a problem," said Yvonne.
S. Jeyakumar, 56, a senior lawyer, said holding large ceramahs as in GE14 will be out of the question.
"I attended one such rally in Pasir Gudang in April 2018 which was attended by thousands and the speeches by speakers lasted more than two hours.
"Such a scenario cannot be replicated in the coming state elections. We are not out of the woods yet. In Johor, there are no signs yet that Covid cases have abated significantly while across the border cases are in fact on the rise lately in Singapore.
"As such having the elections at this juncture is not merely risky but there is a real possibility of a rise in cases in tandem with large gatherings at polls centres. It is also difficult to digest the rationale for having fresh elections now as the opposition has given its word that it will not rock the boat and will maintain the status quo. It would have been more prudent for the state elections to be held later in tandem and simultaneously with GE15," said Jeyakumar.