The Malaysian Insight

BARISAN Nasional will not be complacent in facing the Johor elections despite its comfortable win in the Malacca polls last November, its deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said today.

Mohamad, who is also BN election director, said the coalition will be fully ready to face Johor polls, adding that the elections in the southern state are important and will not be easy.

“I don’t want the BN machinery to take it easy, being carried away by the sentiment of winning comfortably in Malacca.

“That’s wrong. That should not be the perception because every election is different.

“Therefore, the strategy to face the Johor elections is to be well prepared… this includes seat allocations for all BN parties,” he said when met by reporters at the Chinese New Year celebration organised by MCA in Kuala Lumpur.

Mohamad added that BN has not finalised the distribution of seats.

“We will do this after our BN supreme council (meet),” added the Umno deputy president.

Mohamad had previously said that Umno would contest at least 42 of the 56 state seats, while the remaining 14 would be contested by MCA and MIC.

The Election Commission is scheduled to meet on February 9 to determine the date and process of the Johor elections.

The sultan of Johor dissolved the Johor assembly on January 22 on the advice of then menteri besar Hasni Mohammad, paving the way for elections to be held within 60 days.

According to Hasni, the election is necessary to obtain a new mandate from the people because his administration “cannot rely on the kindness of the opposition”.

The Umno-led ruling government had a one-seat majority in the state assembly prior to the dissolution. – February 1, 2022.