Rejoin Pakatan to form next state government, Johor chapter tells Bersatu reps

(MMO) – Johor Pakatan Harapan (PH) today said they welcome any elected representatives, including those from Johor Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, to leave the Perikatan Nasional (PN) pact and to together uphold the mandate given by the people in the last general election to govern Johor.

It said in a joint statement that Johor PH is ready to face any elections anytime soon.

“At the same time, we take the view that the people and the government are at war with Covid-19 pandemic today,” said the statement that was jointly signed by the chiefs of three parties under the PH.

The three were Johor Parti Amanah Negara chief Aminolhuda Hassan, his PKR counterpart Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, and DAP counterpart Liew Chin Tong.

The statement was in response to a Malay Mail report on Friday alleging that some Johor Bersatu leaders were planning to oust Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad in a campaign that could bring down the state government that may trigger snap polls.

The report, quoting sources and also Johor Umno deputy chief Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, said that the campaign accelerated over state Bersatu lawmakers’ unhappiness with the political appointments of some Umno leaders in Johor.

The statement added there are much more important and urgent matters that the people need to deal with today rather than the need to hold an election as suggested by Nur Jazlan.

It said Nur Jazlan had challenged all parties to hold an election in an effort to resolve the issue of the Johor Mentri Besar’s post.

“To translate democracy into practice in this country, there are still many ways by voting to determine the mentri besar’s post in the state assembly.

“Johor PH also took note of Bersatu deputy president Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir’s statement that the best option for the party is to be with PH due to the fact that Nur Jazlan clearly stated that Umno only used Bersatu to overthrow the previous ruling coalition.

“Once these goals are met, there is no requirement for Bersatu to be with Umno. In addition, Nur Jazlan’s statement also raised the question of snap polls and his confidence in Umno’s victory with a larger majority was a clear signal from the party to kill off Johor Bersatu.