Kuala lumpur: The presence of several former PKR members contesting under the Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) ticket in the Johor state election (PRN) will not affect grassroots support for Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidates, says Johor PKR chairman Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa. She affirmed that PKR members remained united in facing challenges from all parties contesting the 56 Johor state seats.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Dr Zaliha stated that the decision of some individuals to leave PKR and contest under the Bersama ticket was their own choice. However, she emphasized that based on observations, particularly during the nomination process, support from party members and the local community in every constituency has been very encouraging. To bolster their campaign efforts, the party is deploying senior leaders to every constituency they are contesting, while also implementing the 'adopted state' approach to assist in each state seat.
Among the former Johor PKR members contesting under the Bersama ticket are Stanley Tan in the Stulang state seat, who previously served at the service centre of Johor Bahru Member of Parliament Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, and Dr Zamil Najwah, PKR's candidate for the Larkin state seat in the 2022 Johor election.
Dr Zaliha highlighted that PH's campaign would also focus on clarifying global issues to voters, particularly those involving oil supply, energy prices, and the crisis in West Asia. She noted that there have been attempts to attack PKR, PH, and the government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim over these issues. Therefore, PH intends to intensify engagement with the public by providing explanations and helping them understand that these are global issues, not the result of weaknesses in the Prime Minister's administration. Dr Zaliha pointed out the efforts by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, including visits to Russia and Turkmenistan, to ensure stable supplies in the market.
When asked about PH's Menteri Besar candidate should the coalition win the Johor election, Dr Zaliha indicated that the matter would be finalized by the coalition's top leadership, which includes PKR, Amanah, and DAP.
The 56-seat Johor State Legislative Assembly was dissolved on June 1, with the Election Commission (EC) fixing July 7 for early voting and July 11 as polling day. According to the EC, the election involves 2,727,926 registered voters, comprising 2,703,175 ordinary voters, 12,041 military personnel and their spouses, as well as 12,710 police personnel and their spouses.