JOHOR BARU: Political parties, especially those from the Opposition, are racing to get outstation voters to come back and vote.

       The parties are making personal phone calls and even offering free transport for these voters to come home from other parts of the country.

       Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has appealed to those living outside of Johor, especially in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, to return and cast their votes on Saturday (March 12).

       "We hope the voter turnout will be higher than in the Melaka polls, where it stood at around 60%.

       "In Johor, we hope it will be between 70% and 75%, as this is important," he said at an event here Thursday (March 10).

       The Melaka state election on Nov 20 last year saw a 65.85% voter turnout.

       Muhyiddin said Perikatan was also eyeing the Undi18 votes and automatic voters who had been included in the latest electoral rolls.

       "The figures are huge, at about 700,000. Their support will help boost the chances of Perikatan candidates," said the Pagoh MP.

       The Chinese vote is also crucial in Johor.

       Barisan Nasional's Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the MCA campaign machinery must ensure that all its party supporters come out to vote.

       "We have a chance to win in Johor so we must ensure our 'pengundi putih' come out and vote,” referring to voters who have been identified and confirmed as party supporters.

       ''Let's reach out to all MCA members, make sure they come out and support us on polling day as we want their support reflected in the ballot boxes,'' he said after a visit to the Yong Peng MCA operation centre.

       He also called on all MCA candidates and election workers to visit all district polling centres (PDM).

       ''It's the final leg and let's work extra hard to win votes. Go and visit all the PDMs and engage the grassroots,'' he said, adding that he was impressed with the performance and high spirit of the Yong Peng machinery.

       Johor PKR chief Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said he has personally reached out to Johoreans in Terengganu and Selangor, and preparations are underway to bring them back.

       "It requires cooperation from all (in the Opposition) to bring them back to vote," he told a press conference.

       He added that PKR was targeting fence sitters, believed to be those staying outside Johor, who were the biggest contributors to the Opposition's win in GE14.

       Syed Ibrahim also hoped voters in Singapore would consider crossing the Causeway for the election because only 7,000 of the estimated 200,000 voters in the republic have registered as postal voters.

       "There might be some costs to bear and processes to go through to obtain the Vaccinated Travel Lane passes, but they have to remember that an election only happens once every five years,” he said.

       Meanwhile, Iskandar Puteri PAS is trying to win hearts through the stomach - it has been distributing free burgers at four different stalls in Taman Pulai Indah, Taman Pulai Jaya, Taman Teratai and Taman Universiti from Tuesday.

       According to Youth chief Mohamad Fadhil, the free burgers were bought from local burger stalls using funds collected from party division members.

       He said it was done to support local businesses in Iskandar Puteri, as supporting young entrepreneurs was part of Perikatan's election manifesto.

       "We have already distributed 100 free burgers and the programme will continue even after the election concludes on March 12," he said.