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10 Facts About the Johor Election Results Whereby Barisan Nasional Made a Comeback

2022-03-13 , 12:05 pm

Before Dr Mahathir came out of semi-retirement to run for prime ministership again, Barisan Nasional (BN), which is led by Umno, was the de facto political coalition in Malaysia.

Then, Dr Mahathir took action and beat them soundly in the 2018 General Elections, making them lose the majority vote.

Well, it seems that 2022 might just be the year for BN again, after what happened in Johor recently.

Here are 10 facts about the Johor election results so you will sound smart in conversations with politically-savvy friends.

1. What Happened

On 12 March 2022, the Johor state election took place.

Just over 50% of eligible voters in the state cast their vote, and Barisan Nasional (BN), which is led by Umno, won 40 out of the 56-seat assembly.

Of the remaining 16 seats, 12 were scooped up by the opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH), with ten of them won by the Democratic Action Party.

2. Increased Rallies

I know what you’re thinking. 50%?!

For those who aren’t in the know, getting to just over 50% of eligible voters isn’t exactly easy.

Political parties running for election ramped up campaigning in an effort to overcome voter apathy which plagued the recent polls at Melaka and Sarawak.

Even at a rally in Larkin which was fielded by former deputy prime minister Zahid, most of the attendees were BN supporters dressed in party uniforms instead of residents from the surrounding area.

3. Tired of Political Tussles

According to a 38-year-old sundry shop owner Kamal Abeen, who listened to Zahid’s speech from several feet away, the environment for this election is “gloomy and subdued”.

He also felt that the credibility of candidates for this election is lacking.

“A lot of times, we are not even sure if we will see the candidates after an election. Now we see them only because of the elections.”

Another voter said she might not even turn up to vote on Saturday.

The voters are reportedly tired of the political fights which saw multiple changes in the position of chief minister within four years.

Back in 2018, after the opposition won a landslide victory, the governance in Malaysia was as messy as your first attempt at cooking.

Prime ministers took the seat, only to be replaced by another before the term ends, and COVID-19 didn’t help the situation.

You can watch this video to the end to understand more about how politics work in Malaysia:

Economic issues now take up the forefront of voters’ minds.

4. First Election Since Voting Age Was Lowered

First-time voters were also expected to add more uncertainty to the voting outcome.

Johor is the first state to hold the election after the legal age for voting was reduced from 21 to 18 years old, adding about 175,000 voters to the electoral roll.

In total, there is about 2.6 million on the roll, which means first-time voters make up about 6% of the eligible voters.

5. Voters Voted For Stability

Incumbent Menteri Besar Hasni Mohammad, who is expected to be voted in as Chief Minister says the voters who voted for BN has, in fact, voted for stability.

The soon-to-be chief minister hopes that people will work together with BN to tide over this trying period, regardless of whether they’ve voted for BN or not.

6. Opposition Heads Have Poor Showing

The opposition parties, on the other hand, had a poor showing at Johor’s state election.

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) only managed to win one seat, continuing the party’s disappointing streak of performance at Melaka and Sarawak.

His leadership of the party is now being called into question.

Perikatan Nasional (PN) also performed poorly, only managing to win three seats despite being under the leadership of former PM Muhyiddin Yassin.

The former prime minister takes responsibility for the defeat, saying he’ll resign from the party the moment they want him to go.

7. Dilution of Votes

You’ve probably heard of this theory before: if there are too many parties fighting for an area, chances are, the ruling party is going to win.

That’s why even opposition parties in Singapore had to divide their areas of contention.

The same thing happened in the Johor election, according to BowerGroup Asia director Adib Zalkapli.

Adib pointed out that the crowded opposition field played to the ruling coalition’s advantage.

Other than PH’s component parties, at least four additional opposition parties made their debut in Johor, most of which walked away empty-handed.

Dr Mahathir’s Parti Pejuang Tanah Air party ran for 42 seats, splitting opposition votes with PH in all of them.

Parti Warisan, headed by former Sabah chief minister Shafie Apdal, ran for six seats.

8. Credit Given To Former PM Najib Razak

In 2018, former Prime Minister Najib Razah was responsible for the downfall of BN after he was linked to the 1MDB scandal.

Well, it seems that the former prime minister seems to have made up for his mistake, at least to the party.

Najib was credited for being the one to lead BN to its landslide victory in Johor.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Najib was the “campaign manager” for the Johor Election even though he held no official party position.

It was added that the victory was a “gift” for the former prime minister.

9. An Early General Election

The next General Election is slated to take place in mid-2023.

However, with this victory, Umno leaders are likely to pressure the current prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob into dissolving the parliament and calling for an election.

This can happen as early as the second half of 2022.

Even as BN’s victory became apparent, supporters could be heard chanting “Dissolve Parliament” to Datuk Seri Ismail, who was at the Umno headquarters in Johor to see the results.

Political observers in Malaysia are saying that the victory is a “royal flush” for Umno, and would give them a stronger mandate.

10. PH Needs To Stop Looking Backwards

Meanwhile, opposition coalition PH will have to relook at their strategies moving forward. Adib suggests.

He pointed out that PH can no longer afford to be “nostalgic” about its 2018 victory.

Back in 2018, there was a feeling of “euphoria”, according to a voter.

But now in 2022, there are just “unfulfilled promises”, he added.