The Malaysian Insight

INTERNAL disputes and weak party administration will cause Bersatu to lose seats in Johor in the next polls, said state party leaders.

They said the state chapter was missing the leadership of Muhyiddin Yassin, who gave up the Johor chair to run the country from the prime minister’s office in Putrajaya,

Party divisions in the state appeared directionless and local leaders clueless in the absence of guidance from the central leadership, they said.

Simpang Renggam was not the only party division in Johor seeing a spate of resignations from its leaders, sources revealed,

“It’s not only Simpang Renggam that has problems, other divisions also have problems, places such as Sembrong and Pulai.

“Divisional committee members were appointed without consultation. We don’t know who they are,” a division leader who declined to be named told The Malaysian Insight.

Sources said Muhyiddin was too busy now to pay attention to Bersatu in Johor.

“He (Muhyiddin) is very busy. Where is he to find time (for Bersatu Johor)?” said another source.

“He leaves it to his men here but they are not ready for work, they all want to play politics.”

The source said grassroots leaders did as they pleased because there was no oversight from the top leadership.

“The situation now is like a house with a roof and pillars but with no walls. You have to figure everything out for yourself,” he said.

A group of Simpang Renggam committee members recently quit over dissatisfaction with the acting division head appointed by Muhyiddin to replace Maszlee Malik. 
The division leaders had objected to the appointment from the start.

Meanwhile, the resignation of Johor Srikandi Muda chairman Nur Najihah Abdul Halim has sparked talk of a rift among the ranks.

Srikandi Muda is the women youth’s wing.

Another party division chief admitted Bersatu was weak in Johor.

He said the Johor chapter lacked the grassroots support and machinery to be useful to Perikatan Nasional (PN) in GE15.

“Right now Umno is weak, PH (Pakatan Harapan) is also all over the place. We who are the government are also in chaos,” he said.

“We are the ruling party; we should work to strengthen the party but the opposite is happening.”

He went as far as to say “I think Bersatu will collapse soon”.

PAS can’t help

The Bersatu division chief did not think ally PAS would be much help in amassing voter support in Johor because the Islamist party was not popular in the southern state.
 
“PAS won in Johor on technical issues in GE14. Only Bersatu voters will vote for PN in Johor. Chinese and Indians will of course vote for PH.

“PAS wants to help but it can’t in Johor.”

Sri Gading youth chief Muhammad Zulfadhly Zulkifly had more faith its the party leadership’s ability to sort things out.

He said a special committee had been set up to oversee election matters at the divisional level..

“The special committee will work with the division head. But if the division members have a problem with the division head, the committee will take over the election machinery,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Bersatu won eight of the 18 state seats it contested in the 2018 elections.

Three Umno assemblymen who subsequently joined Bersatu added three more seats to the count. That was enough for PH to wrest power with a combined 39 seats from DAP (14), PKR (5), Amanah (9) and Bersatu (11).

Umno had lost badly in Johor, which until the general election was known as its stronghold. The party did manage to hold on to 14 seats, leaving the Barisan Nasional coalition with 16 seats, counting two of MCA’s.

PAS, meanwhile. took the Bukit Pasir seat in the Pagoh parliamentary constituency, which is represented by Muhyiddin.

Umno came back to power in Johor following the Sheraton move in March last year, along with its new allies Bersatu and PAS. – May 26, 2021.