Toiling across Causeway, Iskandar Puteri’s urban Malays hungry for change

JOHOR BARU — Working as a factory worker in Singapore was a make-or-break decision for Mr M. Rizwan, who wanted a better life for his family.

Four years later, he said the decision has paid off and the 30-year-old pest control worker now counts his blessings.

"Despite only having a basic SPM education, I now bring home an average of RM4,800 (S$1,627) to RM5,200 monthly after conversion, a sum that I would never see if I'm still working in Johor.

"It was not an easy decision, and the earlier factory job that I got in fact prepared me for the competitive working environment in Singapore," said Mr Rizwan who has two daughters aged two and four, with his wife a full-time homemaker.

The Taman Universiti resident, located in the Iskandar Puteri parliamentary constituency, said his monthly income would not be possible if he was still selling burgers or had held on to his low-paying sales job in Johor Baru previously.

Mr Rizwan is among the hundreds of thousand of Malaysians who travel into Singapore daily to make a living. Every day he travels about 40km into Singapore, and he does so five times a week.

Mr Rizwan told Malay Mail that his several years of exposure in Singapore have also taught him about the importance of personal achievements.

"To be fair, no one outside my family actually helped me when I was going through a rough patch.

"I decided that I needed to earn more and took the plunge to work in a factory in Jurong … in 2014. It was only later that I got the better-paying pest control job," he said, adding that Johor lacked opportunities for youths like him.

Mr Rizwan, who was not interested in politics in the past, admitted he is keen for change from the current government led by Barisan Nasional (BN) — thanks to his experience working across the Causeway.

"I will be taking my annual leave on May 9 for the 14th general election and my vote will go to a candidate and party that can make the country a better place for my children as it is their future," he said.

"I think Malaysians, especially the Malays, need to avoid being in their comfort zones. I for one definitely don't want my daughters to be dependent on subsidies and hand-outs forever."

JOHOR: THE SOUTHERN BATTLEGROUND

Johor, which sits across Singapore at the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia, has traditionally been a BN stronghold.

However, that has slowly changed since the 2008 general election which saw the Opposition make inroads here.

The last general election in 2013 showed that Johor was not impenetrable as BN's fortress was weakened as the then-Pakatan Rakyat trio of DAP-PKR-PAS made positive electoral gains.

Since then, Johor has been constantly featured as a prime target by the Opposition coalition. After all, it's the country's third-richest state and has become a hub for investment in recent years.

It also sends the second-highest number of members to the 222-seat parliament from Malaysia's 16 states and federal territories.

Recently, Pakatan Harapan (PH) has been promoting better economic and job opportunities for Johor Baru folk.

This, they claimed, will improve the quality of life for those working in Singapore and ultimately, entice them to contribute their efforts back in Malaysia.

The targeted parliament seats that are prized by the Opposition will be south Johor's urban federal seats of Pulai, Iskandar Puteri and Kulai.

Recently formed Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) also plans to make inroads into the majority urban Malay areas and to create a "Malay Tsunami".

Half of Johor's 26 parliamentary seats have more than 40 per cent Chinese voters, while the other 18 are made up of more than 50 per cent Malay voters.

In the previous election, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang won the Gelang Patah against former chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Othman by a whopping 14,762 votes.

Now the seat has been named Iskandar Puteri after redelineation, and Mr Lim will defend it against MCA's Jason Teoh Sew Hock.

CHASING THE 'ONE-TO-THREE'

For many years, south Johor youths with only a basic education, saw working in Singapore as the key to economic prosperity — with ample job openings in the service sector.

It is estimated that every day more than 300,000 Malaysians cross both the land checkpoints in JB Sentral to Woodlands, and Tanjung Kupang to Tuas.

With the currency exchange close to S$1 to RM3, many have tried their luck seeking employment across the Causeway in what is called the "one-to-three" exchange rate.

Similar to Mr Rizwan, a 29-year-old diploma graduate who wanted to be known as H Izan works in Singapore's bustling central business district as a coffee barista. He will also vote in Iskandar Puteri.

On his motorcycle, a #RunSGD sticker was visible — denoting him as part of a movement of Malaysians working in Singapore due to the preferential exchange rate.

"I consider myself an urban person and am politically aware of what is happening despite working in Singapore.

"To be fair, I feel strange that I need to work in Singapore to earn an honest living, but I have tried working in Johor before and could not make ends meet," said the Skudai resident, which is a state seat within the Iskandar Puteri federal constituency.

Mr Izan, who is single, said travelling about 100km both ways and getting up at 4am in the morning did not deter him from working in Singapore.

"Seriously, it's a small price to pay as I can bring home RM3,800 to RM4,000 easily. For me, the money is good," he said.

However, Mr Izan agreed that he cannot work in Singapore forever. He is now preparing a long-term plan to perhaps open a small business in Johor Baru in the next 10 years.

Mr Izan said his vote will go to PH as the party has brought up the issue of Malaysians working in Singapore on many occasions.

He saw hope in Opposition-ruled states such as Selangor and Penang, which he said have shown good examples of progress.

"Johor being next door to Singapore should have been more progressive in their policies," Mr Izan said.

"But so far, I don't see any solid plans by BN that can cater to the growing number of Malaysians working in the island republic." MALAY MAIL