Young voters, out-of-state Johoreans will decide polls, says Zaliha

JOHOR BAHRU: Young voters and out-of-state Johoreans will be the determining factors in the elections to the Johor state assembly, according to Johor PKR chief Dr Zaliha Mustafa.

She played down claims by former MP Ong Kian Ming that Barisan Nasional’s chances of retaining the state by a landslide were increasing. Zaliha said elections are decided by voters and not forecasts.

While she appreciated Ong’s views, they were his personal analysis. “Everyone is entitled to their own political analysis, but elections aren’t decided by predictions or polls. They’re decided by the people at the ballot box,” she said.

Ong, a former DAP central committee member and two term Bangi MP, had predicted that BN could win 53 of the 56 seats at the July 11 election, while PH would likely take the remaining three seats. He also predicted that Perikatan Nasional could be wiped out.

He said his projections were based on the vote share in the 2022 general election, in which PH won 13 of the 25 parliamentary seats in Johor.

Zaliha said one of the key factors in determining the outcome of the election would be young voters and Johoreans living outside the state. “That’s why we’re working hard and encouraging everyone to come home and vote. Every vote matters if we want to keep Johor moving in the right direction”.

She also cautioned against assuming that voters had already made up their minds, saying one should not “underestimate the intelligence of Johor voters.” Zaliha said the response on the ground has been encouraging.

Johor PH chairman Aminolhuda Hassan said the 2022 election should not be used as a gauge for the current contest because “many did not go out to vote because of the Covid-19 pandemic”.

The sentiment on the ground is now different, he said, as Johoreans “could see the difference”, in political stability, improving economy and increase in investor confidence in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government.

Pulai MP Suhaizan Kaiat, who will be involved in a three-cornered fight for the Larkin state seat, said voter turnout would be a deciding factor. “If voter turnout is high, it would favour PH. If turnout is low, it would benefit BN”.

He dismissed remarks by Nazifuddin Razak, the son of former prime minister Najib Razak, that a big BN win in Johor would signal support for a royal pardon for his father.

“The statement only resonates with certain Umno supporters. The wider public in Johor does not seem to pay much attention to that,” Suhaizan said.