Set for a uniquely Johor election

Growing: Vibrant street art is everywhere in Kelapa Sawit, a town that is benefiting from Johor’s digital infrastructure boom – which is keeping voters generally happy with the state government. — Filepic/The Star

THIS past week, I was in Johor for political tourism. I wanted to check out the on-the-ground sentiment in this crucial southern state of Peninsular Malaysia. Election fervour is in the air in Johor as the state assembly has just been dissolved and the Election Commission has set polling day for July 11.

My first stop was breakfast at Kelapa Sawit, a quaint, historic Hakka village in Kulai, famous for its vibrant street art murals and deep cultural roots. On the menu in a packed restaurant was the famous Hakka dish choy ban (steamed vegetable dumplings filled with leeks or turnips) and a comforting, hearty bowl of lei cha (thunder tea rice).

Kelapa Sawit, in the Bukit Batu state seat, is at the epicentre of Johor’s digital infrastructure boom, heavily driven by hyperscale facilities like the Sedenak Tech Park and major land acquisition by tech giants like Microsoft in the wider Kulai district. This rapid data centre expansion has triggered massive spin-off developments in the area, accelerating the transformation of surrounding towns like Kelapa Sawit through high-tech industrial parks, upgraded roads and utility infrastructure, and commercial growth.

In the 2022 state election, the Bukit Batu seat was won by Pakatan Harapan candidate Arthur Chiong Sen Sern (PKR), who secured 9,439 votes (39.20%) to claim the constituency with a narrow majority of 137 votes. Close behind him was Supayyah Solaimuthu from Barisan Nasional (MIC), who garnered 9,302 votes (38.63%), while the remaining two contenders in the four-cornered fight, Tan Heng Choon from Perikatan Nasional (Gerakan) and Lee Ming Wen of Warisan, trailed with 3,989 votes (16.57%) and 1,349 votes (5.60%) respectively.

During breakfast, I spoke with locals to get a sense of which coalition/party has the upper hand this time around. The consensus on the ground was that Barisan has been gaining significant momentum and popularity under the leadership of Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghaz, who is Johor Barisan chairman and Johor Umno chief.

The growing local favour for Barisan stems from the highly visible, energetic performance of the state government, which has successfully decoupled itself from federal-level political noise. There’s also dissatisfaction with Pakatan’s performance at the Federal level, driven primarily by a growing sense of voter fatigue over unfulfilled GE15 (15th General Election) institutional reform promises.

Lunch was at Bukit Indah, which is known for having some of Johor’s most expensive residential real estate. I was at a famous homegrown F&B chain, Huang Chao Fish Pot, where I enjoyed its signature charcoal- fired steamboat, bubbling with a rich, flavourful broth and generous slices of fresh fish.

I noticed that the F&B scene here was more vibrant and evolving faster than the one back in my home neighbourhood of Taipan, USJ, in Subang Jaya. Strolling down a single commercial row, I was struck by the dense, cosmopolitan variety – a Korean BBQ place, a Japanese restaurant and trendy Chinese restaurants.

Curious about this hyper-growth, I asked locals what was driving the boom. The consensus quickly pointed to the straits: the strength of the Singapore dollar, combined with the massive influx of cross-border commuters, regional tech professionals, and weekend big spenders, have injected a wall of liquid capital into Johor’s retail ecosystem.

Bukit Indah is in the Perling state seat. In the 2022 state election, the seat was won by DAP heavyweight Liew Chin Tong, who secured 18,628 votes (43.59%) to claim the constituency with a majority of 3,347 votes. His closest challenger, Tan Hiang Kee from Barisan-MCA, garnered 15,281 votes (35.76%), while Koo Shiaw Lee from Perikatan-Gerakan finished third in the three-cornered contest with 8,829 votes (20.66%).

Unlike four years ago, when I went on the ground to gauge sentiment in the Perling seat, the mood was different this week. Back then, when I asked, the locals were sure which party would win the seat. It was DAP.

This time around, however, the voters gave the distinct impression that the incumbent cannot afford to take the constituency for granted – there is a sense that several of his campaign promises remain unfulfilled.

Neutral residents expressed a strong desire for an assemblyman with a solid grassroots presence to attend to their immediate local needs. Some pointed out a rising political figure from the opposing camp who has been visibly active and gaining traction with her consistent on-the-ground service.

The main takeaway from my trip to Johor was a strong indication that Barisan will not only retain power but likely expand its majority. In the last state polls, the coalition won a commanding 40-seat super majority (Umno 33, MCA four, and MIC three. Pakatan secured 12 seats (DAP 10, PKR one, and Amanah one), Perikatan took three (Bersatu two and PAS one), and Muda captured a single seat.

Because this is a localised state election, voters are strictly focused on who is best equipped to govern their home state, and there is widespread satisfaction with the visible, progressive leadership of Onn Hafiz and his Barisan administration.

In constituencies that previously leaned towards Pakatan, a wave of discontent has emerged; many Johoreans feel deeply let down by the coalition’s perceived shortcomings and unfulfilled federal-level promises, shifting grassroots momentum significantly back to the ruling state government.

Just like the uniquely Hakka village of Kelapa Sawit, the eventual result of the Johor polls will be uniquely Johor. It won’t be an indication of how the coalitions and parties will do in GE16.