Election Commission officials get the polling station at Dewan Badminton Kompleks Perumahan Polis Tabuan Jaya ready ahead of early voting in Kuching December 13, 2021. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
COMMENTARY, Feb 25 — The political temperature in the run-up to the Johor state election will likely peak tomorrow as it is nomination day.
Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), which triggered this election, is fielding candidates in all the 56 state seats, aiming to wipe out Umno and its coalition partners at all cost.
Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang), led by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has a similar objective as it contests in 42 Malay majority seats.
Together with PKR, Amanah and DAP they all aim to eliminate Umno/BN or at the very least reduce their influence on Malaysian politics.
PAS is partnering Bersatu in this quest. The party is using all its election machinery, considered second to Umno’s, to help Bersatu in campaigning as the latter has no machinery to depend on.
The Islamist party had inked a deal wth Umno under Muafakat National (MN) in 2019 but Bersatu managed to drive a wedge between PAS and Umno and now both parties are fighting each other in Johor.
The stakes are high in this state election for the four Malay-based parties; Umno will not walk tall again if it fails to retain the state government with a convincing majority.
Bersatu may be wiped out and not even contest in the next general election if it fails to win at least two or more seats to show that it truly has grassroots support in the state where its president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was born.
Pejuang may close shop if it does not win a single seat.
PAS may go back to holding ceramahs all over the country again if it fails in its political attempt to rule or be a partner in the ruling government.
Muda, which is making its debut in a state election, may survive to fight again in the next general election if its president Syed Saddique has the stamina and finance to continue.
Banking on new voters to vote for the new party is a very huge gamble because there are just around 170,000-odd voters aged 18 to 20 in the state and they are spread around 56 state constituencies.
For Warisan, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal is said to be testing the waters in peninsular Malaysia but it is seen as a long shot given the difficulty in changing the minds of peninsular Malaysians to accept a Sabah-based party.