Perikatan Nasional to contest all seats in Johor election, setting up potential three-way fight with PH and BN

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional (PN) said it will contest all 56 seats at Johor’s next state election, setting the stage for a potential three-cornered fight with Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Johor PN chairman Sahruddin Jamal said on Thursday (May 21) the coalition – whose main parties are Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) – is preparing its list of candidates and stressed PN’s strength in the southern state should not be underestimated.

In Johor’s last state election in 2022, PN also contested all seats and won three. Johor’s next state election is due by mid-2027, but parties have reportedly ramped up preparations with an eye to possible polls as early as August or September this year.

Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi was the first to announce, on May 16, BN’s intention to contest all seats in the next state polls. 

The next day, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of PH said it was prepared to contest all seats in Johor, as well as in the coming general election, which is due by February 2028.

Although BN is aligned with PH at the federal level, they are rivals at the state level in Johor and Melaka, whose state election is due by early 2027.

In Johor, BN currently holds 40 seats in the state assembly. PH holds 12 seats and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) holds one.

"PN's strength in Johor should not be underestimated … as the coalition positions itself for what is expected to be one of the most closely watched state polls,” said Sahruddin, who is from Bersatu.

But PN deputy chairman Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said on Tuesday (May 19) it remained open to negotiating with other parties to avoid clashes among the opposition.

“PN is ready to contest all seats, but we may be open to holding discussions with several other parties so that opposition parties do not contest against each other,” he said at PAS’ headquarters. 

Tuan Ibrahim said PN was ready to face PH and BN not only in Johor, but also in other states.

Anwar, too, said on May 17 discussions among coalition partners are still ongoing, and that he intends to meet BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for talks to discuss its decision to contest Johor on its own. 

“We want to help and rectify the situation if there were any mistakes made. We understand if there was a misunderstanding, there will be disputes," Anwar reportedly said. 

Meanwhile, speculation about an early Johor state election was further stoked when a WhatsApp message, purportedly about a special sitting of the state assembly on Jun 24, went viral, news outlet New Straits Times (NST) reported on Thursday.

There are rumours the special sitting could be linked to the dissolution of the state assembly, which would pave the way for state polls, NST reported.

It is the prerogative of the state’s ruler or governor to dissolve the state assemblies on the advice of the chief minister, who is typically from the state’s ruling party or coalition.

Sahruddin, Johor’s PN chairman, however, told NST he was not informed of any special sitting and that there was no confirmation from the assembly secretary’s office.

Within PN, cracks remain between Bersatu and PAS, with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang saying on Friday it is reassessing the alliance, including the possibility of contesting the next general election without Bersatu.

“We will look into the positives and negatives of the current alliance,” Hadi said, as reported by news outlet Utusan Malaysia. “We are not disappointed, but our patience has limits.”

Their tensions include the recent controversy in Perlis, which saw the resignation of PAS’ Sanglang assemblyman Mohd Shukri Ramli as chief minister last December, and Bersatu’s Kuala Perlis assemblyman Abu Bakar Hamzah replacing him.

Shukri’s resignation came after eight statutory declarations were signed by state assemblymen – three from PAS and five from Bersatu – retracting their support for him.

Shukri cited health reasons for stepping down, but said he was blindsided by the withdrawal of support from PN state assemblymen.

Besides PAS and Bersatu, PN also consists of smaller parties Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party.