PEKAN NANAS: Barisan Nasional will forge ahead and work to win over the voters until the last day of the Johor state election, says caretaker Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
He said despite the views expressed by researchers and analysts on the election, the coalition would continue its campaigning efforts, adding that Barisan was not taking the polls lightly.
He was asked to comment on a Merdeka Centre survey showing Barisan in a comfortable lead.
On the campaign, Onn Hafiz said he was doing his best to meet as many people as possible.
“The support from the people has been good,” he added.
During a webinar by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Merdeka Centre programmes director Ibrahim Suffian said Barisan could retain between 40 and 42 seats in the Johor state polls, while Amanah and PKR may win one and two seats respectively.
He also estimated that Barisan’s Malay support has risen to 55% – 60%, up from 45% in the 2022 state polls.
“We are expecting Barisan to win, (but) the big question is on the margin – will they get fewer than 40 seats or more than 40 seats?” he said.
Ibrahim also cited a May survey conducted before the state assembly dissolution, which showed Onn Hafiz enjoying positive ratings among locals across racial groups and age groups.
“The state government received a 79% approval rating, yet at the federal level, only 44% are satisfied with the Federal Government.
“This is largely due to partisanship, as only maybe about one-third of Barisan voters will give positive ratings for the Federal Government,” he said.
Ibrahim said he believed that these ratings may not translate into votes.
Pekan Nanas will see a straight fight between Tan Eng Meng from Barisan against Yeo Tung Siong from Pakatan Harapan.
