ISKANDAR PUTERI, May 4 — The Opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition intends to contest all 56 state assembly seats in the upcoming Johor state election (PRN).

Johor Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) chief Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal said PN and its parties are prepared to face the state election at any time.

“PN will contest all the state constituency seats in Johor. 

“The candidates’ names list will be submitted directly to the coalition’s central leadership for final endorsement,” he told reporters at a media conference during the state legislative assembly sitting in Bangunan Sultan Ismail in Kota Iskandar here today.

Also present was the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) president Amira Aisya Abd Aziz.

Dr Sahruddin, who is also the Bukit Kepong assemblyman, said that PN are also not ruling out the possibility of a political collaboration with Muda for the upcoming state polls.

However, the former menteri besar said that the current focus is on the appointment of the Johor PN chairman’s position, which is still vacant.

“Bersatu party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has sent a letter with a proposed name on behalf of the party to PN’s top leadership.

“The letter has been sent for more than a month, pending a reply. At the moment, we are still waiting as no one has been named yet,” he said.

On Muda’s collaboration with PN in the state polls, Amira Aisya said the matter had not been finalised yet.

The Puteri Wangsa assemblyman said that the party had already initiated informal discussions with Johor PN.

“Muda will make an announcement on our decision when the time comes,” she said.

Amira Aisya also revealed that Muda plans to contest between five and 10 state seats in the upcoming Johor state election.

She said the party’s targets are mixed constituencies, involving both urban and rural areas.

On the hotly contested Puteri Wangsa constituency, Amira Aisya named herself as the incumbent candidate and added that Muda will defend the seat in the state election.

“We also welcome any party that is keen to contest in Puteri Wangsa,” she said.

Both Johor Pakatan Harapan (PH) parties, PKR and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) are also eyeing the Puteri Wangsa seat for the coming polls.

ISKANDAR PUTERI, May 4 — Johor continues to post encouraging economic performance after the state’s revenue reached RM1 billion as of April 30, Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said today.

He said the figure marks an increase of RM307 million compared to the same period last year, placing Johor on solid footing to achieve its revenue projection for this year.

“Johor’s success is driven by several major achievements, including recording the highest investment figure in the state’s history.

“This reflects investor confidence in Johor and has also opened up tens of thousands of job opportunities for the people.

“In addition, Johor’s strong economic growth with a high Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rate has strengthened the state’s fiscal base, thus increasing the government’s ability to generate sustainable revenue,” he told the Johor state legislative assembly at Bangunan Sultan Ismail in Kota Iskandar here today.

Onn Hafiz, who is also chairman of the Johor Natural Resources, Administration, Finance, Planning, Economic Development and Tourism Committee, said the achievement proves Johor is on the right track to sustain inclusive and long-term growth.

“Based on this strength, the state government is committed to ensuring that every increase in revenue is returned to the people through high-impact initiatives,” he said, adding that this approach has been implemented through phases one to four of the Bantuan Kasih Johor (BKJ) welfare programme, which includes more than 100 initiatives with an allocation of almost RM400 million.

Onn Hafiz said the state government would continue strengthening efforts to help the people, ease the cost of living and ensure the state’s prosperity is shared by all.

ISKANDAR PUTERI, May 4 — The ongoing conflict in West Asia has not affected foreign investor interest in Johor aa a major regional investment destination, said Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.

He said that investor confidence in Johor remains strong despite the global economic uncertainties due to the current geopolitical conflict.

Onn Hafiz, who is also the Johor Natural Resources, Administration, Finance, Planning, Economic Development and Tourism Committee chairman, explained that strong foreign investor interest can be seen during the state government’s recent visit to China.

“The state government’s latest working visit to China showed the continued interest of its domestic companies keen to expand their operations to Johor.

“More than 30 companies have expressed interest in investing and expanding their operations in the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), that is also in line with the ‘China Plus One’ strategy,” he said at the Johor state legislative assembly at the Bangunan Sultan Ismail in Kota Iskandar here today.

The menteri besar was replying to a supplementary question by Anuar Abdul Manap (BN-Pemanis).

According to Onn Hafiz, most companies are now looking for stable and competitive locations to expand their businesses outside of China.

He said Johor meets the criteria by offering a conducive investment environment with consistent government support.

“The feedback from global logistics company DHL is also proof of Johor’s increasing attractiveness.

“DHL was reported to have successfully achieved its expansion target within two years compared to the original projection of 15 years, showing the great potential that Johor has,” he said.

Onn Hafiz said the JS-SEZ, which is a joint initiative between Malaysia and Singapore, is now seen as the latest growth engine in South-east Asia.

He said Johor’s success in attracting investment was the result of close cooperation between federal and state agencies, including the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) and related ministries.

“Investors see Johor as a stable and consistent state during global uncertainties, giving them the confidence to continue investing here.

“The state government will continue to strengthen the state’s investment ecosystem to ensure sustainable and inclusive economic growth,” he said.

ISKANDAR PUTERI, May 4 — Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the state government has allocated RM138 million for the fourth phase of the Bantuan Kasih Johor (BKJ) welfare programme.

He said the latest phase of the BKJ is expected to benefit more than 600,000 people throughout the state. 

“The implementation of the fourth phase of BKJ is based on the comprehensive feedback from recipients throughout the implementation of the previous phases of the programme,” he told the Johor state legislative assembly at the Bangunan Sultan Ismail in Kota Iskandar here today.

Based on feedback from the people, Onn Hafiz said the state government has improved the latest phase to allow more Johoreans to directly benefit.

He said that a total of 22 initiatives were introduced under the fourth phase of the BKJ, covering various levels of society including older Malaysians, housewives, young couples, small traders, people with disabilities (PwD), orphans as well as community volunteers.

“Among the main initiatives are cash assistance of RM200 to more than 307,000 senior citizens, RM200 to 136,000 unemployed housewives and RM400 to 45,000 newly married couples.

“In addition, a RM300 assistance will also be distributed to nearly 30,000 registered hawkers and small traders to support their economic survival,” he said.

The BKJ’s fourth phase will see assistance being extended to larger target groups that will include disabled students, orphans, and impoverished heads of households, school bus and van drivers, welfare aid recipients, mosque and surau committees and religious officials. 

In addition, frontline workers such as security guards and hospital and religious facility cleaners, as well as homestay operators, grave digger volunteers, youth associations and state sports associations will receive benefits under the new phase.

Onn Hafiz, who is also the Johor Natural Resources, Administration, Finance, Planning, Economic Development and Tourism Committee chairman, said that each BKJ initiative was designed with the aim of strengthening the social networks in the state so that no one was left out.

“The state government is committed to ensuring that every increase in revenue is returned to the people through high-impact initiatives that are truly felt by Johoreans,” he said. 

Onn Hafiz said the state government would continue to improve this initiative from time-to-time, in line with state’s fiscal capacity. 

He added that if the state’s revenue continues to increase, the state government will similarly increase the assistance to benefit the people.