Johor polls close, half of eligible voters turn out as at 4pm

JOHOR BARU - Polls for the Johor state election have closed, with the Election Commission reporting that just 50 per cent of voters had turned up to cast their ballot as at 4pm on Saturday (March 12).

The low attendance caused concern among some Malaysian politicians that the outcome of the state election may not accurately reflect the electorate’s will.

Parti Warisan president Shafie Apdal, whose party is making its electoral debut in Johor, said voter attendance should at least reach the 70 per cent mark in order for the election to truly reflect the choice of Johoreans.

“However, from the looks of it, it is likely to be less than 60 per cent,” he said, according to The Star.

Recent state elections in Melaka and Sarawak saw voter turnout at just 65 per cent and 60 per cent respectively, a situation that is seen to usually benefit the incumbent government.

However Johor Menteri Besar Hasni Mohammad said a low voter turnout does not mean democracy is lacking in the state.

“Low voter turnout does not mean that there is less democracy. What is more important is that there are no restrictions for people to cast their votes,” he said, according to The Star. 

He noted that voters could be staying away due to concerns over Covid-19.

Police said the voting process in all 56 wards ran smoothly, without any untoward incidents. There were no reports of disturbances or fights, and traffic on the highways flowed smoothly, Johor police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat told national news agency Bernama.

Earlier, Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, president of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) said his party machinery would work harder to get voters to polling centres, including by driving them there if necessary. MCA is part of the Barisan Nasional (BN) alliance, which helms the incumbent state government.

The Johor state election is being closely watched as its outcome could herald an early general election for Malaysia.

Voters began queueing at polling centres from early morning, wearing masks and observing safe-distancing protocols as Covid-19 infections continue to surge nationwide.

The process was reported to be smooth, with no congestion at polling centres and voters filing in and out within minutes.

"The whole process took just a minute," said college student Sanjena Ananthan, who was casting her ballot at the Perling constituency.

Perling is one of the largest wards in the state with more than 100,000 voters.

Ms Sanjena, who is 18 and a first-time voter, said young people like her are looking for a stable government after seeing three different chief ministers lead the state government over three years.

Mr Iqmal Haziq, 23, a first-time voter, also said he was looking for more stability in the government and better job opportunities.

This is the first election in Malaysia where those aged between 18 and 21 are allowed to vote, after laws to lower the voting age came into effect.

However, voter attendance got off to a slow start, with only 29 per cent of those eligible having voted as at noon. As at 4pm, voter turnout stood at 50 per cent, said the Election Commission. Polls closed at 6pm.

Around 2.6 million voters are registered to vote in this election, which pits three major coalitions against one another.

BN, which is led by Malaysia's largest party Umno, forms the incumbent government. It aims to reclaim its former two-thirds majority in the state assembly from opposition pact Pakatan Harapan, which wrested a substantial number of seats in the 2018 election.

Meanwhile, Perikatan Nasional, a two-year-old coalition which forms the federal government with BN, is banking on former prime minister and Johor veteran Muhyiddin Yassin to bring in the votes.

Political observers said a strong showing by Umno in its birthplace of Johor could embolden the party to call for a general election this year.

Multi-cornered fights are expected in most wards, with 239 candidates from 15 political parties vying for the 56 available seats.