Singaporeans flock to JB
JOHOR BARU: Johor is said to have been named after the Arabic word jauhar which means gems.There may be no precious stones these days but Johor’s shine is not lost on shoppers from Singapore.
As Hari Raya beckons, they have been making trips across the Causeway to shop for the festive season or to savour the variety of traditional Malay dishes sold at the Ramadan bazaars around Johor.
Housewife Yati Abdullah, 41, said she came to Johor to hunt for last-minute deals.
“We prefer shopping for Raya here as it is cheaper and there are a lot more options for us to choose from, especially when it comes to food and clothes.
“Thankfully, the traffic when we came (yesterday afternoon) was bearable. But we would still have come anyway, as we have gotten used to the congestion,” she said when met at Plaza Angsana here.
Yati said that she and her family had been visiting Johor Baru almost every weekend during the month of Ramadan to shop and to get food.
Planning engineer Amirul Ariff Mohd Fauzi, 25, said that he and his friends came over the weekend to get the traditional fare for breaking of fast.
“We would usually go to the Ramadan bazaar to look for dishes that are difficult to get in Singapore,” he said.
He said he bought a set of baju Raya for RM300.
“It would have cost S$300 (RM915) back home,” he said.
Driver Asri Daud, 37, said that he and his wife came to Johor to look for biscuits to present as gifts for friends.
“We will normally give to our non-Muslim friends and colleagues some biscuits during Hari Raya and this is the best place to get it,” he said.
“It is a lot cheaper here as most shops selling Raya biscuits in Singapore also got their supplies from here.”
Biscuit seller Kharmilah Amir, 39, said she had been getting many customers from Singapore since last Thursday.
“Our operating hours have also been extended to midnight since last Tuesday as we normally get more customers at night,” she said.
Source: TheStar
