Johor polls: State election a 'rehearsal' for GE15, says Pasir Gudang MP

JOHOR BARU: The coming Johor election will be a "rehearsal" for the 15th General Election (GE15), says PKR's Hassan Abdul Karim.

The Pasir Gudang MP added that the Johor polls would see a clash of three big political coalitions, as well as five "newcomers" making their debut.

"The state election will be merry with the competition between Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan, and Perikatan Nasional. Aside from that, the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance's (Muda), Pejuang, Warisan, Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM), Parti Putra, and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) are also in the fray.

"The polls will be congested, but let this be a celebration of our democracy. Our people have been living under the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic and they want their voices to be heard, the freedom to move and to participate in politics," he said in a statement Tuesday (Feb 1).

He added that Malaysians, in general, were addicted to politics, from the general public to political leaders.

"Even though health experts have warned us about the dangers of the Omicron variant, Umno and Barisan, especially the ‘Court Cluster’ seem not to care.

"The Johor Mentri Besar himself was eager to dissolve the state assembly," he said.

Hassan added that the polls would be a reflection of GE15, but no one would be able to reliably predict the outcome as there were 2.7 million new voters this year.

"The young voters will be the game changers in this election, and every score-sheet from previous elections is no longer relevant.

"The newcomer parties will try their luck with their logos, and I welcome them," he said.

He added that if Pakatan and DAP managed to get outstation voters, especially the 400,000 Malaysians working in Singapore, to return home, Barisan would face difficulties winning.

Hassan also advised the Opposition parties that are not part of Pakatan to sit down and discuss strategies with Pakatan to avoid any collisions.

"We should avoid any collisions between the Opposition as this will only lead to Barisan winning," he said, adding that he expects GE15 to be held either this year or, at the latest, by May 2023.