GE14 | Malaysians in Singapore have joined the chorus of voices lamenting the Election Commission’s (EC) decision to hold the 14th general election (GE14) on a weekday.

Yesterday’s declaration that polling day has been set for May 9, a Wednesday, left Malaysian citizens working across the straits in a lurch, sending many scrambling to make plans to return home in time to cast their ballots.

Malaysians in Singapore, alongside those residing in southern Thailand, Brunei and Kalimantan are not eligible for postal voting and therefore, must return to vote.

Singapore’s The Straits Times reported that there are about 400,000 Malaysians working in the island republic.

It reported that within hours of the EC’s announcement, coach tickets from Singapore to Malaysia were sold out and that Facebook carpooling groups which “sprang to life” seeking to pair drivers with those who needed a ride, too, were soon turning people away.

Ong Shwu Fong, a part-time coordinator told the site that the EC was "deliberately making it difficult for people to travel back to their home address to vote.

"Mid-week means inconvenience for many people. Despite that, many friends around me are determined to vote. Paid or unpaid leave, they will do it, because the general sentiment is that this is the last chance to make a difference,” she was quoted saying.

And while some are determined to find a way home by May 9, some voters are left on the fence about doing so, in light of the difficulty and cost it might incur.

One of those is 24-year-old research assistant Clarissa Tan, who told The Straits Times just three hours after the date was announced, coach tickets online were already sold out while cheap flight tickets were disappearing fast.

Meanwhile, nutritionist Cyrus Yeong was quoted claiming the cost of the one-way flight ticket to Ipoh had jumped from SGD$30 (RM88) to SGD$220 (RM651).

Even so, he said he was determined to vote as it is his duty as a citizen.

The same goes for programme coordinator Chua Yong Wee who The Straits Times reported was willing to drive to Selangor to vote, saying: ”Even though voting is not compulsory, I will go back because I think it's every voter's responsibility to cast their vote.”