Amanah: Negotiations still going on in Johor

JOHOR BARU: “Horse-trading” is apparently taking place in Johor as political parties jostle to garner the numbers to form the state government.

Johor Parti Amanah Negara chief Aminolhuda Hassan said negotiations were still going on but the party’s nine assemblymen were solidly with Pakatan Harapan.

“I do not expect any of them to betray and join rivals to form the state government.

“Yes, I can say that a lot of negotiations is still ongoing and hopefully we, Pakatan, will be able to return to power.

“Pakatan Harapan is trying to get assemblymen from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia who are aligned with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to help form the new state government, ” he said yesterday.

Pakatan has 28 assemblymen after Bersatu, with 11 representatives, quit the coalition on Monday.

Barisan Nasional has 16 seats – Umno (14) and MIC (two) – while PAS has one.

Pakatan needs only one assemblyman to be on their side in the 56-seat assembly to form the state government.

Aminolhuda also said that Amanah assemblymen had signed statutory declarations supporting Pakatan and dismissed a claim made by state Barisan Nasional chief Datuk Hasni Mohammad that two of its assemblymen would be crossing over.

Meanwhile, Pemanis PKR assemblyman Dr Chong Fat Full, who was perceived to be one of the “crossovers”, felt sad that he had been ridiculed by his fellow comrades in the party.

He said he had been under constant attack from PKR members

as he was seen to be aligned with former deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.

“I have not left the party but why attack me? I am a division chief and they removed me from some PKR’s WhatsApp groups.

“I have always been supportive of the president, deputy and vice-presidents, but in PKR these days, everyone must only support the president, ” he said.

Talk is rife that Dr Chong may be given a position in the state’s new line-up.