The Malaysian Insight

UNDER the Pakatan Harapan (PH) big tent concept with ally Muda, DAP needs to win all its seats if Pakatan are to form the next state government said Lim Kit Siang.

In an interview with The Malaysian Insight, the Iskandar Puteri MP said it is critical for DAP to retain its 14 seats if PH is to wrest the state government from the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN).

The veteran lawmaker said PH parties are contesting in all of the state’s 56 seats, and DAP stands a chance of retaining all the 14 seats where its candidates are.

The seats are, Perling, Skudai, Tangkak, Paloh, Mengkibol, Penggaram, Stulang, Johor Jaya, Bekok, Bentayan, Pekan Nanas, Senai, Yong Peng and Jementah.

The party won all these seats in the 2018 general election.

DAP’s allies Amanah and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) are contesting 16 and 20 seats, respectively. 

Muda, which is not in PH but has an electoral pact with DAP and Amanah, is contesting in seven seats. However, one of them, Larkin, will see a clash between Muda and PKR.

Cautiously optimistic that PH and Muda can win 30 seats, Lim said the health ministry’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic was making it difficult for opposition parties to campaign. 

He feared low voter turnout like the Malacca and Sarawak polls last year.

“We are worried. This Johor election is the coldest election ever, with no fever and no heat,” he said.

“Candidates are discouraged from holding ceramah.”

The SOPs allow ceramah on a limited scale, restricted to the campaign operations centre of each candidate, usually in a shop lot and up to 100 people with social distancing in place, and up till 10pm.

Lim said a low turnout would give Umno the advantage.

“They want to win the Johor election so they can force a general election as soon as possible to get the Umno court clusters’ graft charges dropped and bring back former prime minister Najib Razak,” Lim said.

The Iskandar Puteri MP admitted PH had to reach out to voters directly to explain its ousting from the federal government in 2020, after 22 months in power, due to the Sheraton Move.

“The PH government has been seen as a failure for not fulfilling many of its election promises.

“PH must explain that election promises can take five years to implement, and not just 22 months.

He said the 2018 general election that ushered PH into Putrajaya had been a new beginning of change and reforms.

“How were we to fulfil election promises meant for a five-year term, in 22 months? ” Lim said.

Fake news and “negative stereotypes” painted of DAP are the other challenges PH is facing in the Johor polls, he added.

One of these claims is that the party sold out the Chinese due to PH’s decision while it was in power to introduce the teaching of khat calligraphy in vernacular schools.

Lim hoped Johor voters would not give up on PH, saying it would mean that Najib could return to power.

“This will only make Malaysia an international laughing stock for condoning kleptocracy,” he said.

A total of 239 candidates will contest the 56 seats in the state assembly, many involved in multi-cornered contests.

Thirty-five constituencies will have four-cornered fights. – March 6, 2022.