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KOTA BHARU: Having driven 10 hours straight across the breadth of peninsular Malaysia from Monday (May 7) morning, Mohd Ridzuan Mat Zin heaved a sigh of relief as he sipped a cup of ice tea in his favourite restaurant in Kota Bharu.
He was home, finally.
The freelance photographer who is based in Kuala Lumpur had to endure three hours of heavy traffic on Malaysia’s East Coast Expressway, as he jostled with tens of thousands of Malaysians heading home to vote in the country’s 14th general election on May 9.
“It’s so important to come home and vote this time,” said the 30-year-old. “Kelantan is on the verge of huge change and I want to be part of it.”
Mohd Ridzuan is one of many Kelantan voters who have embarked on the long journey home to vote as they believe the northern state is on the cusp of change.
“I’ve seen the progress of KL over the years – the huge buildings and the development. I want that for my home state too,” said Mohd Ridzuan, pointing out that many of his friends and family are increasingly dissatisfied with the state government, which has been run by the Islamic party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) for 28 years.
But after six consecutive election victories, many young Kelantan voters like Mohd Ridzuan said they will be voting for the Barisan Nasional coalition (BN) government to take over from PAS in the hope that Malaysia’s poorest state will be better managed.
“Our state government does not seem to know how to handle the budget and economic needs of the people – we have issues with electricity and trash in our city,” he added.
While the typically quiet streets of Kota Bharu was jam packed with cars, the city’s main bus station in Lembah Sireh was a hive of activity as lines of buses filled the parking lot.
Farizee, a Kelantan voter who is based in Kangar, Perlis, told Channel NewsAsia he was lucky to have secured a bus ticket home on Monday.
When he found out that tickets from Kangar to Kota Bharu were all sold out for Tuesday, the day before polling day, he pleaded with his employers to grant him an extra day of leave.
“This is my first time voting, and I want to vote for change in the Kelantan state government,” said the 25-year-old dentist.
“After this election, PAS will no longer rule Kelantan. Even among my family and friends in my kampung in Kota Bharu, we all believe that PAS is no longer the right party to take charge.”
Faziree explained that many locals are no longer confident with PAS’s ideals, which he believes leans excessively towards religious conviction at the expense of economic progress.
He added that he was keen on giving the Pakatan Harapan opposition coalition an opportunity to govern.
Pakatan Harapan is a third contender for the state government of Kelantan and its candidate Nik Omar Nik Aziz, son of former PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat, has triggered swathes of support across the state.
Tumpat voter Lokman Hakim, who took a bus home from Shah Alam in Selangor, told Channel NewsAsia that he was attracted to Nik Omar’s humility and charisma.
“It’s time for new leaders; our people are at the threshold of development,” said the 22-year-old university undergraduate.
When Channel NewsAsia asked him which party he would vote for, he said: “Our votes are secret, but I’m unhappy with the people in charge of both the federal and state governments.”
Meanwhile at Kota Bharu’s Sultan Ismail Petra Airport, the arrival hall was filled with returning travellers.
One of whom was Puteri Mohd Aidil, who landed on Monday evening from Subang.
She told Channel NewsAsia: “It’s our responsibility as Malaysian citizens to come home to vote. We want to be part of change.
“We need to make a decision for the future of our children and grandchildren.”
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