Image credit: Utusan TV
JOHOR BARU: Businesses here are expecting brisk sales amid the state election and school holidays but a stretched labour force and the border closure with Singapore are dampening the situation.Johor Indian Muslim Entrepreneurs Association secretary Hussein Ibrahim said he was concerned about insufficient foreign workers and the rise in Covid-19 cases.
“We expect our business to pick up in these few weeks as many Johoreans will come home to cast their votes for the state election.
“As much as we look forward to brisk business, we are worried that we would not be able to cope with a large crowd.
“Many foreign workers returned to their countries during the first movement control order (in March 2020) and they are not allowed to come back due to the ongoing travel restrictions,” he said, adding that many eateries had been forced to close down as they did not have enough workers.
Bubble tea shop owner Chong Jia Wearn, 27, said he was expecting business to increase by at least 20% in March.
“I was working at an eatery during the previous general election and sales were three times the usual on voting day.
“To encourage more people to come out and cast their ballots, we will be having promotions for voters.
“However, we dare not put our hopes too high this time as we understand that many people will prefer to stay at home due to the spike in Covid-19 cases,” Chong added.
Johor South SME Association adviser Teh Kee Sin said that although some small businesses might flourish in the next few weeks due to the election and school holidays, the state economy still depends largely on Singaporeans.
“It is difficult to depend on domestic tourists as internal consumption is not strong enough to drive the economy.
“Even the vaccinated travel lane (VTL), which kickstarted last year, did not have much positive effect on small to medium enterprises (SMEs).
“Many small businesses are still struggling to make ends meet,” he added.
Teh said he hoped that after the polls, the newly elected representatives would focus on assisting the SMEs.
Johor Homestay Association vice-president Ahmad Mohamed said homestay operators in Kulai and Kota Tinggi districts started receiving bookings when the Johor legislative assembly was dissolved on Jan 22.
“Political parties prefer homestays as these premises can accommodate more political workers, unlike hotel rooms,’’ he said.
Ahmad said that on average, a homestay in the two districts could easily accommodate between 10 and 15 people depending on the number of rooms.
“Another good thing is they can cook at a homestay, which they cannot do in a hotel,’’ he added.
Ahmad said most of the homestays in Kulai and Kota Tinggi were located in villages, giving political parties a chance to also reach out to rural voters.
Hotels in Johor are not seeing a surge in room bookings for the Johor polls compared with the last general election in 2018.
Malaysian Association Hotels Johor Chapter chairman Ivan Teo said bookings during the last election were mostly from political parties and their campaign workers.
“Outstation voters coming back to vote normally stay with their family or relatives instead of hotels,” he added.
Teo said Johoreans working in Singapore are also not coming back to vote as the border between Malaysia and Singapore is still closed.
“Now, they can cast their ballots via postal voting unlike in previous elections,” he noted.
Malaysia Budget Hotel Association national deputy secretary-general Dr Sri Ganesh Michiel attributed the slow bookings to the surge in Covid-19 cases.
He said political parties are not taking any chances as they do not want their candidates or workers to get infected.
“If they test positive, they will have to cancel activities such as walkabouts to meet voters,” he added.
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/02/28/traders-expect-better-sales