KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke today defended his ministry’s engagement with the Johor government, citing several transport-related events attended by Johor caretaker Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi as he renewed his invitation for the latter to join Tuesday’s KTM Komuter Selatan launch.

The DAP secretary-general’s response came after Onn Hafiz said he had yet to receive a formal invitation to the event despite being “touched” by Loke’s public invitation to ride the train service together.

In a Facebook post, Loke thanked the Johor Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman for his lengthy response and for accepting the invitation.

“Thank you YAB Dato’ Onn Hafiz for such a detailed response and for your willingness to accept my invitation to ride the KTM Komuter Selatan,” he wrote.

Loke then listed several Ministry of Transport (MOT) programmes that Onn Hafiz had attended personally.

These included the RTS Link ceremony witnessed by the prime ministers of Malaysia and Singapore on January 11, 2024; the arrival of the first RTS Link train in Singapore on June 30, 2025; the special launch of the ETS3 service and official opening of the KTM Kluang station on August 23, 2025; and the completion ceremony for the Gemas-Johor Baru Electrified Double Track Project, as well as the launch of ETS services to Johor Baru, on December 11, 2025.

Loke also noted that representatives from the Johor government had attended several other MOT programmes, including the signing ceremony for the Kluang Heritage Railway Linear Park project on September 7, 2023, a working visit to the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex on January 11, 2024, and the reopening of the Pasir Gudang-Kempas Baru railway line on May 9, 2025.

However, he pointed out that no representative from the Johor government had attended the launch of the MyLesenB2 programme for school students in Johor Baru on May 11 this year.

“I understand election season is indeed busy. Perhaps some things were forgotten,” Loke wrote.

He added that there was a distinction between official functions and working visits.

“If it is merely one of my working visits, I do not wish to take up the menteri besar’s valuable time,” he said.

Loke said a formal invitation letter would be sent to Onn Hafiz and reiterated that the Johor menteri besar would be given an opportunity to speak at the event.

“However, the invitation letter will arrive as soon as possible. See you in Kulai on Tuesday,” he wrote.

In a postscript, Loke referred to a March 3 “dry run” of the Komuter Selatan service involving Johor’s transport exco.

“Johor’s transport exco had already boarded the train for a ‘dry run’ of the Komuter Selatan, even though the service had not been finalised at the time.

“The MOT was not informed either, but I did not make a fuss about it,” he said.

Yesterday, Onn Hafiz said he had yet to receive a formal invitation to Tuesday’s launch despite Loke’s public invitation.

The Johor menteri besar also said the state government had not been invited to several previous transport-related programmes in the state, including working visits involving the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex and the ETS Segamat project.

The exchange comes ahead of the Johor state election, where BN and Pakatan Harapan are expected to contest against each other despite remaining partners in the federal unity government.

The invitation itself followed remarks by Onn Hafiz that he would rather relinquish the Johor menteri besar post than sit at the same table with DAP.

In response, Loke had said DAP had never regarded anyone as an enemy and remained open to working with different political parties, before inviting Onn Hafiz to join him on the KTM Komuter Selatan journey from Kulai to Johor Baru.

Johor goes to the polls on July 11, with nomination day set for June 27 and early voting scheduled for July 7.