Dr Zaliha says former PKR members’ election bid under Bersama will not affect Pakatan campaign

JOHOR BAHRU, June 27 — 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 said PKR members remained united in facing challenges from all parties contesting the 56 Johor state seats.

“That is their choice to leave PKR and contest under the Bersama ticket. However, based on what we have seen so far, especially during this morning’s nomination process, support from party members and the local community in every constituency has been very encouraging.

“At the same time, we are strengthening our campaign by deploying senior party leaders to every constituency we are contesting, while also implementing the ‘adopted state’ approach to assist campaign efforts in each state seat,” she told a press conference at the Johor PKR Operations Centre here today.

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 said PH’s campaign would also focus on helping voters understand global issues, particularly those involving oil supply, energy prices and the crisis in West Asia.

“We have seen attempts to attack PKR, PH and the government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim over issues relating to oil and energy supply. Therefore, we will intensify our engagement with the people by providing explanations and helping them understand that these are global issues.

“The people need a comprehensive explanation that these issues are not the result of weaknesses in the Prime Minister’s administration. On the contrary, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has worked tirelessly, including making visits to Russia and Turkmenistan, to ensure stable supplies in the market,” she said.

Asked who would be PH’s Menteri Besar candidate should the coalition win the Johor election, Dr Zaliha said the matter would be finalised by the coalition’s top leadership involving 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.

For the latest updates on the 16th Johor state election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/johor/. —Bernama