JEMENTAH: Claims that defeated Barisan Nasional candidates can still be appointed into the Johor government are baseless, says MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
“They say it doesn’t matter if our candidates lose because the Mentri Besar will appoint them as exco members anyway. That’s nonsense.
“They’re talking as if they don’t even understand how it works,” he said at a Barisan ceramah here on Tuesday.
He also dismissed allegations that Barisan had struck an electoral pact with PAS, saying such claims did not stand up to scrutiny as Barisan and PAS candidates were contesting against each other in a number of constituencies including Jementah.
“’People say we have a pact with another party.’ What pact? Who are we contesting against? Besides DAP, we’re also up against PAS.
“So what kind of pact is that? A pact to ask someone to fight us? Is that logical? Use your brains a little before making up stories,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd.
Dr Wee said Barisan had made its stand clear from the outset by contesting all 56 Johor seats under its own banner.
The MCA, he said, was in three-cornered battles with Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional in Jementah, Paloh, Layang-Layang and Stulang.
Dr Wee also defended Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi against allegations that he was racist, describing him as an open-minded leader who governed fairly.
“If he didn’t support the Chinese community, would there be Chinese representatives serving in the state executive council together with Datuk Onn Hafiz?” he asked.
As examples, Dr Wee said the Johor government had written off about RM420,000 in outstanding assessment tax owed by Foon Yew High School and waived its annual assessment tax of about RM325,000 going forward.
He said the move, together with welfare assistance, efforts to ease congestion at the Johor-Singapore border and support for all communities, reflected Onn Hafiz’s inclusive approach to governing.
Dr Wee also credited Onn Hafiz’s administration with steering Johor’s strong economic performance, citing the state’s 6.4% growth rate, RM110bil in foreign direct investment and an additional RM600mil in revenue that had been channelled back to the people through various assistance programmes.
As for the contest in Jementah, Dr Wee urged voters to give Barisan candidate See Ann Giap a second chance, saying he had continued serving the constituency after narrowly losing the seat in the 2022 state election.
Also present at the ceramah, which saw a large turnout, were Onn Hafiz, Buloh Kasap Barisan candidate Datuk Zahari Sarip, See, as well as leaders from Barisan component parties.
For the latest updates on the 16th Johor state election,visit https://elections.thestar.com.my/
