LETTER | After two weeks of campaigning, polling day has finally arrived.

More than 2.7 million Johoreans are registered to vote across 1,076 polling centres and 4,849 voting streams. But one number matters more than any other: you.

Hundreds of thousands of Johoreans now live and work in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Malacca, and other parts of Malaysia. In the last Johor state election, voter turnout was only 54.9 percent. Many could not return because the borders were still closed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This time, there is no such excuse. The borders are open. The Rapid Transit System (RTS), buses, trains, and highways are moving. Going home is no longer impossible.

Dear Johoreans living outside your home state, your vote tomorrow will determine what kind of Johor your parents, your children, and future generations will inherit.

Johor needs you. Not just to vote, but to ensure that the right people are elected to serve the people with integrity, honesty, and accountability.

The cost of compromised leadership

Ask yourself this. Can Johor afford another five years of leaders who say one thing during elections but do another after the votes are counted?

How can Johoreans trust a menteri besar who publicly declared he would rather not remain menteri besar than sit beside a DAP leader, only to later work with the very same leaders when it suited his political interests? Leadership is built on principle, not political theatre.

Johoreans also deserve to ask another important question. Is Johor prepared for PAS to become part of the state’s governing coalition?

Johor has always been Malaysia’s gateway to the world; a progressive, moderate, and multiracial state. Investors continue choosing Johor because they have confidence in Malaysia’s economic direction under the Pakatan Harapan-led federal government.

Billions of ringgit in investments, the RTS Link, the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, and other major initiatives require close cooperation between Putrajaya and Johor.

Aligning Johor with federal progress

Johor deserves elected representatives who can work with - not those who are against - the federal government. Not a government that doesn’t attend meetings with the prime minister to discuss investment.

If you are living in Kuala Lumpur, you have seen how Harapan ministers are driving reforms, improving governance, and delivering long-overdue changes. Imagine Johor moving with that same determination and vision. That future begins with your vote.

If you need to drive home, drive home.

If you need to take a train, take the train.

If you need to carpool with friends, do it.

The journey home may take a few hours. But the government you choose will shape Johor for the next five years.

I cannot vote in Johor. My family cannot vote in Johor either.

But you can. Your family can. Your friends can.

Johor is calling you home. Please don’t leave that responsibility to someone else.

Come home. Vote. And help build the Johor that all of us know is possible.

The author is a former Bersih 2.0 secretariat manager.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.