By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 12: Come the next general election, Pakatan Harapan (PH) could see a repeat of what happened in Sabah, where the Demoratic Action Party (DAP) was wiped out and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) managed to win only one seat.
According to political pundit Dato Peter Minos, the same warning signs seem to have emerged in Johor, with the coalition securing only eight seats in the recently concluded state election.
“Unless PH sits down soon, undertakes genuine reforms, and makes drastic changes to its policies and approach, it may face a similar fate. By then, however, it could already be too late. The public may have already made up its mind,” he said in a statement.
Touching on PH’s loss in Johor, Minos shared observations from his friends in Johor, who were reportedly tired of what they saw as unfulfilled promises and pledges on development from the PH-led federal government, and that many were unhappy with what they perceived as PKR being influenced or controlled by DAP at the federal level.
He also shared that Johoreans take pride in the fact that the state is the birthplace of the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), founded by Datuk Onn Jaafar who was the father of former prime minister Tun Hussein Onn, and did not appreciate what they perceived as criticism and attacks by PH which many Johoreans felt were disrespectful.
Minos also shared that BN had what many Johoreans regarded as a capable Menteri Besar and state chairman in Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, who was widely seen as someone genuinely working for the state, and is also the great-grandson of Onn Jaafar and grandson of Hussein Onn.
“There are, of course, other issues that some voters raised against PH, including the rising cost of living, which they feel has not been adequately addressed by the federal government; what they perceive as relentless action against former national leaders, which they view as politically motivated; and controversies such as the corruption allegations involving DAP in Penang.
“I have a feeling that, come the next general election, PH could see a repeat of what happened in Sabah unless the coalition undertakes genuine reforms and makes drastic changes to its policies and approach,” he said.
The 16th Johor state election, which was held on July 11, saw BN winning 48 out of 56 seats, with the remaining seats going to PH.
Perikatan Nasional (PN) failed to win any of the 33 state seats it contested, while Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama), the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA), Parti Orang Asli Malaysia, Parti Sosialis Malaysia, and Independent candidates also failed to secure any seats. — DayakDaily
