JOHOR BARU: Pakatan Harapan has suffered a crushing defeat in the 16th Johor State Election after winning only eight of the 56 seats it contested, leaving the coalition to reassess its strategy ahead of the Negri Sembilan state polls and the next general election.
The coalition's disappointing performance marked a major setback as Barisan Nasional secured a commanding victory to retain control of the Johor government.
A sombre mood enveloped Pakatan's election information centre at Pulai Springs Resort on Saturday (July 11) night as results trickled in showing the coalition losing seat after seat.
Only a handful of supporters were present at the operations centre, with many quietly watching the results on television screens while party workers monitored updates from the Election Commission.
Unlike previous elections that saw jubilant celebrations, the atmosphere was subdued as Pakatan candidates continued to trail their Barisan rivals across much of the state.
Speaking after the results, PKR vice-president Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari thanked Johoreans for fulfilling their democratic responsibility and acknowledged the coalition's disappointing showing.
"Pakatan will continue to carry out its responsibilities in the Johor state assembly with courage and integrity by raising the people's concerns and offering solutions to unresolved issues," he said.
Amirudin said the election outcome served as a reminder for Pakatan to strengthen its grassroots machinery and engagement with voters in preparation for the 16th General Election as well as the upcoming Negri Sembilan state election in about three weeks' time.
He said the coalition would return to the drawing board to review its strategy, analyse voting patterns at every polling stream and locality and understand the factors behind the result.
"We cannot generalise the outcome. We need to study every polling stream and locality before deciding on the next course of action," he said.
Amirudin maintained that Pakatan's core support remained intact but claimed the collapse in support for Perikatan Nasional had resulted in a significant swing of votes to Barisan candidates.
"Our support did not diminish significantly. What happened was a swing in votes from PAS and Bersatu supporters, with many of its supporters backing Barisan candidates," he said.
