JOHOR BAHRU, June 2 — The special Johor state assembly sitting scheduled for June 22 has been cancelled.

The special one-day sitting was cancelled after Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi announced the dissolution of the state assembly yesterday.

Johor state legislative assembly Speaker Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi confirmed the matter which had earlier attracted mixed reactions after it was posted on social media.

He briefly told the media that it was cancelled when asked if the sitting would continue.

On May 29, several Johor assemblymen said that they received a notice calling the special one-day state assembly sitting on June 22.

Some questioned the need for the additional sitting, with others saying that it could be an announcement for the dissolution of the state assembly.

Yesterday, Onn Hafiz announced the dissolution of the state assembly paving the way for a state election.

The Johor state legislative assembly, which has 56 seats, was scheduled to end its term on April 21 next year.

The previous state election in March 2022 saw BN forming the state government after winning a supermajority of 40 out of 56 contested state constituencies.

Pakatan Harapan (PH) only managed to wrest 12 seats, with DAP securing 10, while PKR and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) won one seat each.

Perikatan Nasional (PN) took three seats, while the youth-centric Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) secured one seat.

JOHOR BAHRU, June 10 — Johor PAS will contest the upcoming state election under an electoral pact with an alliance of Malay-Muslim political parties, after recently ending its political cooperation with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).

Johor PAS Commissioner Datuk Mahfodz Mohamed said the pact was aimed at maximising the parties’ combined strengths.

He said the parties, which share similar political goals, are Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang), Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra), Parti Berjasa Malaysia (Berjasa) and Parti Perikatan India Muslim Nasional (Iman).

“This is a temporary political alliance as an official coalition would take up time and will not be registered in time for the Johor polls.

“Under this electoral pact, it is agreed that PAS and the other participating parties will use our respective logos to contest,” he told reporters after chairing a state-level meeting at the Johor PAS office in Bandar Baru Uda here last night.

Mahfodz said discussions on seat distribution for the Johor polls were still ongoing and are expected to be finalised by the party’s central leadership on June 12.

He said prominent PAS central committee member and strategist Tan Sri Annuar Musa has been appointed as the party’s Johor election director.

“Johor PAS has also not decided on the number of seats to contest for the upcoming Johor election. We need to decide on our new objectives after severing ties with Bersatu late Monday,” said the PAS Syura Council member.

Mahfodz explained that PAS initially had 15 seats under a previous arrangement with Bersatu for the upcoming Johor election.

“This figure is the same that PAS had in the previous Johor state election,” he said, adding that PAS will need to renegotiate the number of seats after severing its ties with Bersatu.

Mahfodz, who is also the Johor Perikatan Nasional (PN) deputy chairman, said there is a likelihood that PAS would clash with Bersatu in the upcoming state polls.

He said it is inevitable that PAS would compete with Bersatu in certain seats.

On PAS having a strategic tie-up with Barisan Nasional (BN), Mahfodz said party leaders at the state level have reached out to explore possible cooperation.

“Johor PAS has held informal discussions with the state BN, but there is no firm agreement yet,” he said.

 

KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — PAS today officially decided to terminate its political cooperation with Bersatu.

PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang said the decision was made during a special meeting of the party’s Central Working Committee yesterday, after taking into account reports, studies and the current assessment of relations between the two parties.

He said the action was also taken to endorse the Syura Council’s June 2 decision on policy, legal and public-interest considerations regarding the party’s political cooperation based on the principle of Muslim unity.

On June 2, PAS Syura Council secretary Datuk Dr Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh said the party had taken serious note of the crisis and internal conflict within Bersatu, which were seen to be affecting Perikatan Nasional. — Bernama

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Jun 9 — PAS leadership has remained tight-lipped over the party’s position in Perikatan Nasional (PN) following its announcement to end political cooperation with Bersatu.

However, PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari indicated that the party is, for now, still part of the coalition, Berita Harian reported today.

“I don’t want to comment further at this point. As of tonight, that is the situation (still in PN),” he told reporters after a special PAS central working committee meeting at the party headquarters here last night.

Earlier, PAS surprised the political landscape by announcing an immediate end to its political cooperation with Bersatu after reviewing the direction and status of ties between the two parties.

The decision was made during the special meeting chaired by PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.

When asked whether the decision to sever ties with Bersatu was supported by the majority of senior party leadership, Ahmad Fadhli declined to elaborate on the proceedings.

“I cannot comment on the meeting process. No, it wasn’t heated… the air-conditioning was working well,” he said.

The meeting reportedly did not discuss PAS’s position within PN.

Separately, Perlis PN chairman Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim also declined to comment in detail, instead referring media to the official statement issued by the PAS president.

“The president’s statement did not touch on PN, so the position remains as before (still intact),” he said.

On the political situation in Perlis following the decision, Shahidan said he would issue a further statement once he receives instructions from the central leadership.

“I will issue a statement on Perlis once I receive further instructions from PAS central leadership,” he added.

KANGAR, June 5 — Rumours of a no-confidence motion against Menteri Besar Abu Bakar Hamzah never materialised as the Perlis state assembly wrapped up its three-day sitting today.

Abu Bakar said this should end the polemics dogging his administration and prove that Perikatan Nasional (PN) representatives, especially from PAS and Bersatu, are still working together, Harian Metro reported this afternoon.

“Alhamdulillah, today it is crystal clear.

“Actually, this issue (vote of no-confidence) is deliberately being played up by parties who are trying to pit us against each other and break the relationship between Perlis PN representatives.

"However, in politics we have to consider various possibilities.

“But today we have succeeded in proving that there is absolutely no motion or matter that can damage and sever ties between Bersatu and PAS,” he told reporters after the sitting ended at Kompleks Seri Putra here.

The Bersatu politician also expressed his appreciation to all PN assemblymen, especially from PAS, for their full commitment in not bringing such a motion.

He said the consensus was also a manifestation of the representatives’ obedience in upholding the Perlis Ruler Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail's wish for his administration to continue until the end of the term in December 2027.

“I would like to thank all parties, especially the assemblymen from PAS.

“Unwanted matters have been avoided and most importantly, we always remain calm in PN,” he said.

Commenting on the sitting which began last Wednesday, he praised the professional attitude of all members who debated maturely without touching on personal sensitivities.

The sitting was initially scheduled for April 21 to 23, but was amended later.

This sparked various speculations including demands for explanations from six PAS representatives.

However, Abu Bakar said the date change was made to give him space to carefully map out his leadership direction and state planning, as he had only been in the post for three months.

 

JOHOR BAHRU, June 10 — Johor PAS will maintain friendly ties with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) at the state level despite having to officially sever ties, said Johor PAS Commissioner Datuk Mahfodz Mohamed.

He said the recent decision to split with Bersatu has not affected the relationship between leaders and members of the two parties in Johor.

“The Johor Bersatu leadership had in fact contacted me regarding the decision (on Monday night).

“I have personally spoken to Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal, who is the Johor Bersatu chairman and also Johor Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman, regarding the decision to part ways,” he told reporters after chairing a state-level meeting at the Johor PAS office in Bandar Baru Uda here last night.

“Despite that, I assured him Johor PAS will continue our friendship with the state Bersatu,” he added

Mahfodz, who is Johor PN deputy chairman, was responding to the recent announcement that PAS had cut ties with Bersatu, effectively ending its six-year political cooperation.

For Johor, Mahfodz said he abides by the party’s decision, but had instructed PAS at the state level to continue its friendship with Bersatu without prejudice.

He said that the friendship forged by both parties over the years will continue despite having to end their political cooperation.

“However, the changes in the political landscape will not disrupt Johor PAS’s election machinery as we prepare for the upcoming Johor polls,” he said.

PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang announced on Monday night that the party had decided to sever ties with Bersatu.

He said PAS would form a new political pact focused on uniting the Muslim community for the upcoming state elections in Johor and Negeri Sembilan, as well as the next general election.

However, PAS remains in PN despite cutting off its political cooperation with Bersatu, a fellow component party.

In 2020, both Bersatu and PAS founded PN for mutual political gain.

The coalition also includes Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan) and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP).

PUTRAJAYA, June 14 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said attempts to bring down the Negeri Sembilan government despite political and economic stability amounted to “a degree of betrayal”.

Asked about recent claims of betrayal linked to discussions on electoral arrangements among coalition partners, Anwar, who’s also the Pakatan Harapan chairman, said such concerns would not arise if there was no betrayal.

“If there is no betrayal, that’s good,” he told reporters after attending the 10th Annual General Meeting of Koperasi Profesional Putrajaya Berhad (Korpojaya).

“But if we look at our experience in Negeri Sembilan, there were certainly efforts to bring down the government despite political and economic stability. To me, that amounts to a degree of betrayal,” he added.

Anwar also urged political parties to focus on economic growth and issues affecting the public instead of becoming consumed by election speculation.

“As for Johor, it is up to them whether they want to hold an earlier election, but I say our focus should be on generating growth, the national economy and the people’s problems.

“These are the people’s concerns. If for the next three or four months we are preoccupied with elections, whereas we could spend the next two or three months focusing on the economy amid economic challenges, that is what I mean,” he said.

The prime minister said what mattered was strengthening understanding of why cooperation and consensus remained important.

“If there is no betrayal, then there is no issue. What it means is that we must improve our understanding of why cooperation and consensus are important, and when there is a need for an election at the proper time, then let it proceed,” he said.

His remarks came after Umno President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yesterday rejected allegations of betrayal levelled by Negeri Sembilan caretaker Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, saying the party’s support for Aminuddin’s administration was only intended to last until the dissolution of the state assembly.

Aminuddin accused Umno of betraying its allies, saying that a letter allegedly written by Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to PAS leaders had revealed discussions between Perikatan Nasional and Umno on efforts to remove him as menteri besar.

Election Commission chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun announced yesterday that polling for the Negeri Sembilan election will be held on August 1, with nominations set for July 18 and early voting on July 28.

 

KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — Penang is unlikely to hold its state election simultaneously with the next general election as the gap between the two electoral cycles has become too wide, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said today.

According to Harian Metro, Chow said the state still has about two-and-a-half years remaining in its current term, making it difficult and unfair to dissolve the state assembly prematurely simply to align the state polls with parliamentary elections.

“As an example, Penang still has about two and a half years left before the end of its term.

“It would not be fair to dissolve the state assembly early just to synchronise the state election with Parliament, especially when considering the mandate given by voters to the state government,” he told reporters after officiating the opening of the Sunway Medical Centre Orthopaedic Centre in Seberang Jaya.

He said the current election calendar had been disrupted by previous electoral cycles, making it increasingly challenging to coordinate state and federal polls.

Chow was responding to a question on whether Penang would consider holding its next state election together with the general election to reduce costs amid rising living expenses.

The DAP national vice-chairman said, however, that he would respect any decision by other states that chose to dissolve their legislative assemblies early in order to align with parliamentary elections.

“Whatever the case, we will wait for the party’s decision,” he said.

At the 15th General Election, Penang, Kedah, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan and Terengganu did not hold their state elections concurrently.

The six states subsequently held their elections on August 12, 2023, with the governments elected then having served less than three years so far.

In Penang, the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional alliance won 29 of the 40 state seats contested, while Perikatan Nasional secured 11 seats.

Separately, Chow said Penang would assist in the upcoming Johor state election if required, adding that party workers could be mobilised as is customary during election campaigns.

He said the party was also monitoring whether other states might call snap elections before deciding on any deployment of resources.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 — PAS leaders will meet next week to determine the party’s approach to the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections, including whether to explore new political alignments, as Perikatan Nasional (PN) weighs its options ahead of the back-to-back contests.

Harian Metro reported that PN chairman and Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said no decisions had been made on forming any new alliances, stressing that discussions within PAS’ top leadership would take place before the matter is brought to the coalition level.

“So far, there has been no decision (to join a new alignment). It is normal during the election process for us to conduct analyses and so on, but no decision has been made regarding any alignment,” he told reporters after launching PAS Kedah’s election machinery at the Kedah PAS Complex in Kota Sarang Semut, Yan, last night.

“PAS’ top leadership will hold discussions next week to determine how we will move forward. We will first discuss the matter among ourselves before convening a meeting with PN.”

The remarks also come ahead of a Reset convention in Tanah Merah, Kelantan, which PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang is scheduled to officiate later today.

Reset is led by former Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, fuelling speculation over whether the movement could align itself with PN ahead of the upcoming state polls.

Ahmad Samsuri, who is also a PAS vice-president and Terengganu menteri besar, said PN had yet to receive any formal application from Reset and that any move to join the coalition would have to follow the established process.

“There have been no official discussions about Reset joining PN. There have only been informal discussions. We have also held discussions with Umno because each side has its own leadership, but no decisions were reached during those meetings.

“The same applies to Reset — no decision has been made. We will wait. If they wish to join PN, they must submit an application. The same goes for any other party that wants to be part of PN; they will have to apply,” he said.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding potential alliances, Ahmad Samsuri expressed confidence that PN remained electorally competitive.

“The PN brand has gone through various elections, including by-elections and the Sabah state election, so it is already a well-established brand and we do not foresee any problems heading into this election. The same goes for the PAS brand, which is also firmly established. There should not be any issues,” he said.

He acknowledged, however, that the upcoming state polls presented a different set of challenges compared with previous contests.

“The only difference this time is that the situation is somewhat unusual compared to previous state elections, as these polls are being held consecutively in different states.

“As such, PAS and PN need to make more careful considerations while we continue to assess the best approach,” he said.

Election Commission chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun announced yesterday that Johor voters will head to the polls on July 11, with nomination day set for June 27 and early voting on July 7.

Negeri Sembilan will follow on August 1, with nominations scheduled for July 18 and early voting on July 28.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 — Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was receptive to the idea of holding the next general election simultaneously with polls in the four Perikatan Nasional-led states, arguing that the move would cut costs and reduce duplication of work.

New Straits Times reported the PAS election director as saying he had raised the matter with Anwar, expressing hope that Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Perlis would go to the polls alongside the 16th general election (GE16).

“My hope is for the state elections in the four states and the parliamentary election to be held together. We will not have to repeat the work, which would consume time if done separately. Holding them concurrently will save costs and ease the work of the Election Commission,” he told reporters after launching Kedah PAS’ election machinery in Kota Sarang Semut, Yan, last night.

“I have spoken with the prime minister about holding simultaneous elections, and he agreed.

“When I asked about the election date, he said it could be discussed.”

Sanusi said concurrent elections would also allow political parties to streamline the deployment of their machinery and resources.

Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu did not dissolve their state assemblies during the 15th general election (GE15) in 2022, opting instead to hold separate state polls in August 2023. Perlis, then under Barisan Nasional, dissolved its state assembly to allow its election to be held concurrently with the federal polls.

Commenting on the possibility of PAS entering a new political alignment ahead of GE16, Sanusi said political parties must continue adapting to remain relevant in an evolving landscape.

“All parties must move based on current needs and demands to match changing mindsets. A party must keep moving and cannot remain static, or it will be left behind and become a Stone Age party,” he said.

“PAS must also move forward as long as our principles remain unchanged and our struggle stays the same. But strategies must be in place to win over voters, and every party will seize the same opportunities.”

 

KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari said the party’s decision to terminate its political cooperation with Bersatu was not based on sentiment or short-term political interests, but on an assessment of whether the partnership could achieve the broader goals of ummah unity and political stability.

He said PAS’ priority remains the unity of the ummah, adding that the decision followed concerns that recent developments within Bersatu had undermined that objective.

Last night, PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang said the decision was made during a special meeting of the party’s Central Working Committee, after taking into account reports, studies and the current assessment of relations between the two parties.

He said the move was also taken to endorse the Syura Council’s June 2 decision on policy, legal and public-interest considerations regarding political cooperation based on the principle of Muslim unity.

Fadhli in a statement posted on his Facebook page this morning said Bersatu’s stance during the Perikatan Nasional Supreme Council meeting, which opposed the inclusion of parties such as Berjasa, Pejuang, IMAN and PUTRA despite a prepared proposal, had undermined the unity agenda.

He also cited a series of developments involving Bersatu in Perlis and Negeri Sembilan, saying these had affected the morale of PAS machinery ahead of the next general election.

Fadhli said the relationship between PAS and Bersatu within Perikatan Nasional will now be managed according to constitutional provisions and proper channels following the decision.

 

JOHOR BAHRU, June 2 — Johor Perikatan Nasional (PN) has almost completed its seat allocation for the upcoming Johor state election, with about 80 per cent finalised.

Its chairman Datuk Seri Dr Sahruddin Jamal said discussions on the remaining 20 per cent involve seats for the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) as well as proposed electoral pacts with other parties, including Muda and Ikatan Prihatin Rakyat (IPR).

“Seat allocation is still being finalised, but about 80 per cent has been completed. As announced yesterday, PN will contest all 56 state seats,” he told Bernama when contacted on the coalition’s preparations following the dissolution of the Johor State Legislative Assembly.

Sahruddin said PN had also mobilised the election machinery of its four component parties - Bersatu, PAS, Gerakan and MIPP, in preparation for the polls.

Yesterday, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi announced the dissolution of the state legislative assembly after receiving the consent of the Regent of Johor Tunku Mahkota Ismail, paving the way for a state election soon.

Meanwhile, Muda said it would defend the Puteri Wangsa seat and field more young candidates in the coming election. — Bernama