Johor BN stands firm on solo bid for all 56 state seats

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional (BN) Johor reaffirms they will contest all 56 State Legislative Assembly seats independently in the coming state election.

Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the decision was a direct response to what Johoreans on the ground wanted.

“We heard the concerns of our Johor people loud and clear. Too many were worried that we would not go solo. As a government that listens, we have to translate that into action, and that means contesting all 56 seats,” he said on the 200th episode of political podcast Keluar Sekejap.

Onn Hafiz, who also chairs the Johor UMNO Liaison Committee, stressed that BN’s solo approach was nothing new.

He said Johor has always been a 100 per cent BN administration and remains the only state never to have formed a government with Pakatan Harapan.

“PN and PH are the opposition in Johor. Contesting all 56 seats is not unusual for us,” he said.

He was careful, however, to separate electoral independence from institutional ties, saying the state’s working relationship with Putrajaya remains intact.

“Every state has the right to make its own decisions. In Johor, this is ours. But our ties with the federal government remain strong,” he said.

On dissolution, Onn Hafiz said the matter rests entirely with Sultan Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, and Crown Prince Tunku Mahkota Ismail.

“I have until April next year and I will never pre-empt Duli Tuanku or the Crown Prince,” he said.

As for candidate selection, Onn Hafiz said the process is underway, with the focus squarely on identifying individuals who can deliver at the grassroots level.

“We are looking carefully at who can truly serve the people, at the ground level and for the state as a whole. Everything is being worked through,” he said.

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المصدر: New Straits Times