ISKANDAR PUTERI, May 7 — Johor Pakatan Harapan (PH) today said the Bill on the appointment of five unelected state assemblymen was hastily brought to the state assembly.

Johor Leader of the Balancing Force Andrew Chen Kah Eng said the matter needed to be discussed in detail as the state’s PH bloc disagreed with the appointment.

“We recommend that it be withdrawn and discussed again,” he said during his speech in the Johor state assembly after the Bill was tabled at Bangunan Sultan Ismail in Kota Iskandar here today.

The Johor state legislative assembly today approved the Bill to amend the state constitution to appoint five unelected assemblymen.

The decision was made after it secured a two-thirds majority, with 40 of the 56 assemblymen supporting the Bill.

Chen said that if the state government intended to proceed with such appointments, the unelected assemblymen should be selected from groups with specific expertise to enable them to express professional opinions in the state assembly.

“The appointments should also come from groups representing minorities to ensure that their voices are represented,” he said.

He said discussions on Johor’s constituency redelineation would have been more relevant than the appointment of unelected assemblymen.

“If we want to add more assemblymen, through the redelineation process itself we can have up to 10 elected representatives in total for Johor.

“So, why is there a need to appoint the five unelected assemblymen?” he questioned, adding that the state government should have held prior discussions with PH and other blocs before coming to a decision.

Chen, who is the Stulang assemblyman, also questioned the amendment, claiming that there were inconsistencies in its legal title in the gazette that was later submitted for approval.

ISKANDAR PUTERI, May 7 — The Johor state legislative assembly today passed a Bill to amend the state constitution’s enactment, paving the way for the appointment of up to five unelected assemblymen.

The Bill to amend Part Two, Clause 15 of the Johor State Constitution 1985 was passed after it secured more than two-thirds support in the legislative assembly.

A total of 40 assemblymen voted in favour, while 16 opposed the amendment.

Johor assembly Speaker Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi announced that the appointment was based on provisions under the state constitution enactment amendment.

This aims to expand the composition of the Johor state assembly by appointing unelected assemblymen, after similar appointments were made in Pahang, Terengganu and Sabah.

Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, when tabling the Bill, said the amendment to include appointed assemblymen is intended to broaden the role of the state assembly by bringing in individuals with specialised expertise and experience to contribute to policymaking.

“The proposal is not purely political, but it provides space for individuals with certain expertise and extensive experience to contribute to the state’s development.

“With that, the state government sees the need to strengthen the institution of the state assembly by having individuals with expertise and experience in certain fields to assist in the process,” he said when tabling the Bill at the Johor state legislative assembly at Bangunan Sultan Ismail in Kota Iskandar here.

Earlier this week, several Pakatan Harapan, Perikatan Nasional and Muda politicians questioned the proposed Bill to amend the state constitution to allow for the appointment of unelected assemblymen.

They questioned the need for the five assemblymen and added that the proposed Bill lacked clarity and posed a challenge to the established democratic process.

ISKANDAR PUTERI, May 7 — Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi has quashed rumours that the state assembly will be dissolved today, paving the way for a snap state election.

He called on all 56 state assemblymen to remain calm and continue serving their respective constituencies.

“I heard there were rumours that the PRN (state election) will soon be called together with various speculation on the dissolution of the state assembly,” he said in his winding-up speech at the Johor state legislative assembly at Bangunan Sultan Ismail in Kota Iskandar here today.

“I would like to answer these speculations today and announce that the Johor state assembly will not be dissolved today.

“So, you can rest assured on the announcement for snap polls,” he added.

Onn Hafiz, who is the Machap assemblyman, also called on all state elected representatives to continue prioritising their duty to serve the people.

He requested assemblymen to put aside speculation of an impending snap election for the time being.

“There are still many programmes and initiatives that we need to implement,” he said.

Rumours of a possible state election have been circulating over the past few months.

The current Johor government’s term ends in April next year.

The present state legislative assembly began its term on April 21, 2022, following the state election on March 12, 2022.