BN no ‘traitor’ for going solo in Johor polls, says MCA’s Chua
Former MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek says Johor BN offers Johoreans stability amid a crowded field of parties and independents
Former MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek says Johor BN offers Johoreans stability amid a crowded field of parties and independents
Former MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek said BN’s decision to go solo at the Johor polls was based on voter and grassroots feedback, not a show of hostility towards its federal partners.
PETALING JAYA: Former MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek has dismissed claims that Johor Barisan Nasional is betraying its federal partners by contesting the coming state election on its own.
In an interview with FMT, Chua said attacks labelling BN as “traitors” or calling for the coalition to be “buried” are misplaced.
“I think all these comments are uncalled for and unjustified,” he said.
He said such remarks ignore the resounding success BN enjoyed when contesting the state election four years ago.
“In 2022, March, we had an election. At that time, it was (contested) solo by BN. And we won 40 seats out of 56,” he said.
Chua said the federal unity coalition government only came after the November 2022 general election, months after BN had already formed the Johor state government, adding that “at no time was there a unity government in Johor”.
Johor BN has confirmed it will contest all 56 seats, effectively ruling out the possibility of seat sharing with Pakatan Harapan, Perikatan Nasional or Muda.
Stability, not betrayal
Chua said BN’s decision to contest on its own was based on feedback from Johor voters and the coalition’s grassroots, not a show of hostility towards its federal partners.
He said menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi was heeding calls from the ground for Johor to maintain political stability and development under a single-party state government.
“The grassroots and BN all wanted to go solo, to ensure stability, rather than having a unity government and having a lot of problems,” he said.
Chua said BN’s fate was in the hands of Johor voters, not rival politicians and it would be up to the electorate to either return BN to power or “bury” it.
He said Johoreans value continuity, stability and proper government development especially because of the state’s proximity to Singapore and its need to attract investors and consumers.
Chua also said voters have not forgotten the instability that ensued after BN lost Johor in 2018, noting that in two years, the state appointed two menteris besar and compared the change in guard to playing “musical chairs.”
He said BN’s current advantage is that it is seen as relatively stable at a time when several other parties are facing internal disputes. “It’s an oasis of stability. Voters don’t like parties in turmoil.”
He had praise for Onn Hafiz, saying voters from Chinese- and Indian-majority areas were broadly positive in their feedback on the menteri besar, whom he described as “one of the biggest selling points, or assets” for BN.
Crowded field, split votes
Chua said he expects the Johor polls to be crowded, with many parties and independents expected to enter the fray.
“We are a democratic country. As long as the political party is registered properly, they are entitled to join in an election,” he said, adding however that newer parties may have a different agenda.
“(They may be) just testing the market, or testing the water, to see how people respond to the new party.”
His remarks come after Parti Bersama Malaysia, taken over by former PKR leaders Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, announced that it would contest the Johor election.
Bersama said the Johor polls will allow the party to introduce itself to voters, build election machinery and assess its strengths and weaknesses.
Chua acknowledged that Bersama has drawn considerable attention recently, but warned that interest at public events may not necessarily translate into votes. “Bersama has traction, but it’s too new still.”
He said he admires Rafizi’s “guts, his resilience, his determination”, but warned that building voter support is never simple as although they may attend Bersama functions and cheer the party on, voters will have to think rationally at the ballot box.
“Please, do not be fooled by the crowd,” he said, as MCA had learnt from experience that big crowds do not always result in votes.
Asked if a crowded field would benefit BN, Chua said there was a long-standing view that multi-cornered fights tend to favour the dominant party.
“If you want to vote against BN, you have so many parties to choose from, so you split the opposition vote. One party may be able to defeat BN. But now (votes are) split, BN may stand to benefit,” he said.
Ultimately the outcome would still depend on the candidates, local sentiment and how each contest played out, he said.
The Johor state assembly was dissolved on June 1, paving the way for elections to be held within 60 days.
BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has said Onn Hafiz will remain the coalition’s “poster boy” for the polls, with BN looking to improve on its 2022 performance.
In an interview with FMT, Chua said attacks labelling BN as “traitors” or calling for the coalition to be “buried” are misplaced.
“I think all these comments are uncalled for and unjustified,” he said.
He said such remarks ignore the resounding success BN enjoyed when contesting the state election four years ago.
“In 2022, March, we had an election. At that time, it was (contested) solo by BN. And we won 40 seats out of 56,” he said.
Chua said the federal unity coalition government only came after the November 2022 general election, months after BN had already formed the Johor state government, adding that “at no time was there a unity government in Johor”.
Johor BN has confirmed it will contest all 56 seats, effectively ruling out the possibility of seat sharing with Pakatan Harapan, Perikatan Nasional or Muda.
Stability, not betrayal
Chua said BN’s decision to contest on its own was based on feedback from Johor voters and the coalition’s grassroots, not a show of hostility towards its federal partners.
He said menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi was heeding calls from the ground for Johor to maintain political stability and development under a single-party state government.
“The grassroots and BN all wanted to go solo, to ensure stability, rather than having a unity government and having a lot of problems,” he said.
Chua said BN’s fate was in the hands of Johor voters, not rival politicians and it would be up to the electorate to either return BN to power or “bury” it.
He said Johoreans value continuity, stability and proper government development especially because of the state’s proximity to Singapore and its need to attract investors and consumers.
Chua also said voters have not forgotten the instability that ensued after BN lost Johor in 2018, noting that in two years, the state appointed two menteris besar and compared the change in guard to playing “musical chairs.”
He said BN’s current advantage is that it is seen as relatively stable at a time when several other parties are facing internal disputes. “It’s an oasis of stability. Voters don’t like parties in turmoil.”
He had praise for Onn Hafiz, saying voters from Chinese- and Indian-majority areas were broadly positive in their feedback on the menteri besar, whom he described as “one of the biggest selling points, or assets” for BN.
Crowded field, split votes
Chua said he expects the Johor polls to be crowded, with many parties and independents expected to enter the fray.
“We are a democratic country. As long as the political party is registered properly, they are entitled to join in an election,” he said, adding however that newer parties may have a different agenda.
“(They may be) just testing the market, or testing the water, to see how people respond to the new party.”
His remarks come after Parti Bersama Malaysia, taken over by former PKR leaders Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, announced that it would contest the Johor election.
Bersama said the Johor polls will allow the party to introduce itself to voters, build election machinery and assess its strengths and weaknesses.
Chua acknowledged that Bersama has drawn considerable attention recently, but warned that interest at public events may not necessarily translate into votes. “Bersama has traction, but it’s too new still.”
He said he admires Rafizi’s “guts, his resilience, his determination”, but warned that building voter support is never simple as although they may attend Bersama functions and cheer the party on, voters will have to think rationally at the ballot box.
“Please, do not be fooled by the crowd,” he said, as MCA had learnt from experience that big crowds do not always result in votes.
Asked if a crowded field would benefit BN, Chua said there was a long-standing view that multi-cornered fights tend to favour the dominant party.
“If you want to vote against BN, you have so many parties to choose from, so you split the opposition vote. One party may be able to defeat BN. But now (votes are) split, BN may stand to benefit,” he said.
Ultimately the outcome would still depend on the candidates, local sentiment and how each contest played out, he said.
The Johor state assembly was dissolved on June 1, paving the way for elections to be held within 60 days.
BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has said Onn Hafiz will remain the coalition’s “poster boy” for the polls, with BN looking to improve on its 2022 performance.
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