JOHOR BARU: While Pakatan Harapan is ready to face the upcoming state polls following the dissolution of the Johor legislative assembly, it has questioned the rationale behind the assembly sitting scheduled for June 22.
A joint statement issued by Johor Pakatan chairman and state Amanah chief Aminolhuda Hassan, state PKR chairman Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa and state DAP chairman Teo Nie Ching said the coalition is ready to face the state election.
“From the beginning, Pakatan expected Barisan Nasional to dissolve the state assembly in the near future.
“As such, the assembly sitting announced for June 22 was clearly not realistic,” the statement read.
It said the coalition would continue with its existing preparations to face the state election in the spirit of democracy.
It added that discussions would also be elevated to the Pakatan presidential council at the national level to determine the coalition’s next course of action.
They said there is no such thing as an easy election and every contest must be approached with seriousness and commitment.
When contacted, state Perikatan Nasional chairman Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal said the opposition coalition is prepared to contest all 56 state seats in the upcoming Johor polls.
He said the coalition is ready to face the polls at any time, subject to the Election Commission’s announcement on nomination and polling dates.
Dr Sahruddin, a former Johor mentri besar, said the coalition has already begun preparations for the elections and is confident of putting up candidates in all constituencies across the state.
He said several political parties have also approached Johor Perikatan to explore cooperation ahead of the state polls.
However, he did not disclose the identities of the parties involved or the nature of the discussions.
At the same time, he said he instructed Perikatan’s election machinery throughout the state to be activated immediately following the dissolution of the assembly.
Johor PAS commissioner Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamed described the announcement of the assembly’s dissolution as unexpected.
He added that he has instructed the PAS machinery across Johor to be mobilised at full capacity in preparation for the state election.
Mahfodz said discussions with other Perikatan component parties will be held soon to finalise seat allocations for PAS in the upcoming polls.
Meanwhile, Umno secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the mandate has been returned to the people with the dissolution of the Johor legislative assembly.
Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi announced the dissolution of the state legislative assembly effective June 1 to pave the way for the 16th state election.
