Chinese wind blowing in Johor

Chinese wind blowing in Johor

By Joceline Tan

Thursday, 09 Jul 2026 | 5:29 PM MYT



IT has been the longest two weeks of Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi’s life, and Saturday (July 11) could decide whether his political career will go forward or otherwise

The caretaker Johor Mentri Besar has to do better or, at least, match the 40-seats that Barisan Nasional won in 2022.


But many can feel a special wind blowing as the big day approaches. A great deal of this wind has to do with the fact that it is quite difficult to find ordinary Johoreans, whatever their skin colour, say anything bad about the 47-year-old Onn.

The only people running him down are the opposition politicians who mock his boyish appearance and harp on his remark about not working with DAP.


If one has to summarise what Johoreans appreciate about Onn, it would be that he is not racist, he is immensely hard-working and unlike many politicians, does not spend his time playing politics.

Johor is arguably the only state where one gets the sense that there is an economic boom in the making and where job opportunities are drawing young people from neighbouring states.

After years of being scolded, cursed and shunned by the Chinese, many Barisan Nasional leaders can hardly believe their ears to hear Chinese say they are planning to vote for Barisan.

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“I joined some Chinese aunties doing Zumba. They said they are voting for Ann Giap,” said Segamat Umno deputy division chief Dato Bastien Onn who has been campaigning for Barisan’s Jementah candidate See Ann Giap.

Bastien felt the same vibes when he attended the wake of a family member of the well-known Siang Hai Kee Restaurant in Segamat.

One of the locals told Bastien that, “state we give to Barisan, parliament to Pakatan”.

A Chinese newspaper columnist said 90% of Chinese support used to go to DAP, but three to four out of every 10 Chinese will likely go with Barisan in the Johor election.

Chinese in Johor are still unhappy about many things - they want fairness, to be treated as equals under the Malaysian sun, to have education opportunities in universities.

They will complain, complain, complain, then they suddenly stop and say: “But we like the MB”.

“He is hard-working, his policies are business friendly, and he knows how to bring in investments,” said How Yong Chang, the CEO of a development company who was born in Melaka but now sees himself as part of Bangsa Johor.

Realtor Kenny Wong also dismissed reports that many Chinese will stay home on polling day.

”Those who live here will definitely come out to vote, but I don’t know about those working outside of Johor,” said Wong.

Asked whether he knew how his friends and relatives would be voting, he said in a solemn tone: “They are angry”.

Angry with Umno?

His reply was shocking: “They are angry with Pakatan”.

The urban and more sophisticated folk do not take politicians and what they say seriously, but rural folk in the Malay kampungs and Chinese new villages tend to believe every word said; hence, the deep sense of disappointment.

However, DAP is still able to bring out the crowd at their ceramah and dinner gatherings. There are still many who will sink or swim with DAP.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the final stretch of the campaign is the way DAP has dropped all pretence about wooing multi-racial support. Their gatherings are almost entirely Chinese, with perhaps only the emcees being from another race.

DAP deputy chairman Nga Kor Ming has thrown his heart and soul into the campaign. He has compared July 11 to “leaving a light for the future” and urged voters to “push change to the last step”.

Pakatan’s problem is that it has been unable to spell out what they have to offer Johoreans that is better than what Barisan has put in place.

Moreover, the Pakatan state government in 2018 was a disaster and was best remembered for having two mentri besar in two years.

China Press has predicted that DAP will be able to win only six of its 10 seats and that MCA may go from four to eight seats.

It is now Pakatan’s turn to press the panic button.

The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall joined the fray in urging voters to return to vote so that the government’s reform agenda can go on.

The SOS siren is blaring, and the party even brought out Lim Kit Siang, known as Lao Da (elder brother), to join the campaign, as well as another leader who is fighting two corruption charges in Penang.

If the Chinese vote is on the line, why then did Pakatan leaders try to play politics over the issue of tax exemptions for Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT)?

The MCA-inspired tertiary body is highly regarded by the community, and the issue erupted like a volcano in the Chinese media after MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong revealed that the Finance Ministry had shaved the institution’s 10-year tax exemption to three years with new conditions imposed.

Education is close to the Chinese heart, and Sin Chew Daily published an editorial defending Wee against those who criticised him for bringing it up at this critical junction.

The editorial asked: “You scolded MCA for bringing it up now. If not now, then when?”

Did Pakatan not learn from the Tanjung Piah debacle when moves against the same institution cost them the seat in Johor and were a catalyst for the Sheraton Move?

Had the Prime Minister not acted swiftly to reinstate the 10-year tax exemption, DAP might have gone home with another tray of eggs like what happened in Sabah.

Those residing in Johor have largely made up their minds about what and who they want.

But questions are still swirling about whether those outside will return to vote and who they will vote for.

Meanwhile, the wind is blowing.