Mighty Umno fortress rises again
By JOCELINE TAN
Sweet victory: Ahmad Zahid (left) celebrating the electoral win with Hasni in Johor.
IT was a victorious night for Barisan Nasional in Johor but a dark one for the other parties, some of which were wiped out or crippled.
The cold and quiet ground throughout the campaign had translated into the lowest voter turnout in recent electoral history.
Many quarters had predicted a lacklustre turnout but few expected it to be this low - turnout was only 50% at 4pm.
Most people had also predicted a comfortable win for Barisan,but few expected such a huge haul of seats for the coalition that had been pushed out of power in 2018.
What a fantastic comeback except that the huge mandate would have tasted sweeter if more Johoreans had come along.
Mentri Besar designate Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad was mobbed by the media when he arrived to vote in the afternoon and the women staff at the polling centre in Benut were all aflutter over the pleasant-looking politician.
Hasni will presiding over a strong government in terms of numbers.
But big wins come with great responsibilities and expectations and Hasni’s incoming government will also have to be strong in delivering what the people want.
Hasni’s video message to voters on the eve of voting was simple, down-to-earth and quite poignant.
He urged Johoreans to choose the best for “our home, Johor” or “rumah kita”.
Hasni, arguably the ideal “poster boy” for Barisan, pledged to bring stability and form a government that will be able to manage the economy and fulfil aspirations.
The Umno fortress was standing again.
At the Barisan command centre in Johor Baru, there was a “Is this for real?” mood as one seat after another tumbled to the coalition.
The scene outside had turned into a sea of blue-shirted supporters when Hasni arrived with Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
But it was a bleak evening for Pakatan Harapan, PKR and Perikatan Nasional.
The real shocker was when seats seen as DAP strongholds fell.
At around 8pm, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong posted the unofficial result for Yong Peng on Facebook. His political secretary Ling Tian Soon, known to locals as Ah Soon, had won.
Shortly after, another DAP-held seat, Pekan Nanas, also fell to MCA.
Yong Peng, which has 60% Chinese voters, is seen as a bellwether seat, an indication of which way the Chinese wind was blowing.
It is often said that MCA cannot claim a real political comeback until it can beat DAP in a Chinese-majority seat and it is finally happening.
“All parties will need to go back to the drawing board,” said political commentator Ivanpal S. Grewal.
He said that even Barisan, despite its triumph, needs examine how it can move beyond depending on its Malay fixed deposit and regain the hearts and minds of the Malay middle ground.
The biggest loser, Ivan said, is Perikatan chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who failed to deliver in his own home state.
Perikatan spent so much on the poster and flag war and put up such a passionate campaign.
Billboards hailing Muhyiddin as someone who cares for the people (Abah prihatin demi bangsa Johor) were everywhere.
“All the alarm bells should be ringing. Muhyiddin’s sphere of influence in Johor is in question. He could not pull it off even with a reservoir of PAS support,” said Ivanpal.
But the most disappointed will be Pakatan Harapan which has fallen from such a great height.
“They had no effective argument against the stability narrative of Barisan. Instead voters got the same 1MDB and anti-Bossku rhetoric.
“Basically, DAP has taken Chinese support for granted, pontificating to everyone without stopping to think what the voters really want,” he said.
DAP’s fall will be particularly painful. It has gone from being the darling of the Chinese to being scolded by them.
Karn Neen Nare DAP mai tau khar chew t'ng lang oh
The low turnout in many of the seats contested by DAP is alarming. Turnout in its stronghold of Skudai was only 36%.
It suggested that many Chinese did not come out to vote because they did not want to vote for the DAP candidate but also did not want to give their vote to Barisan.
Lots of soul-searching for everyone in the aftermath of the Johor election.
It suggested that many Chinese did not come out to vote because they did not want to vote for the DAP candidate but also did not want to give their vote to Barisan.
Lots of soul-searching for everyone in the aftermath of the Johor election.
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