JOHOR BAHRU: Johor, the birthplace of the ruling UMNO party, is no longer a safe bet as the southern Malaysian state morphs into a major battleground in the coming general elections that must be called by August.
Opposition leader and former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has trained his sights on wresting Johor from the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, of which UMNO is the largest component party.
“Johor UMNO’s political dominance is under threat and is at a worrying phase,” said Hisommudin Bakar, executive director of independent research firm Ilham Centre.
“UMNO has lost its teeth, especially amongst the new generation of Malays. UMNO can only count on FELDA settlements and Malay villages in not changing their voting patterns. If there are any changes, it will be disastrous for UMNO Johor and BN in Malaysia,” said Hisommudin.
Malays comprise of 53 per cent of the population in Johor followed by Chinese at 39 per cent, Indians at 7 per cent and others, 1 per cent.
BN won 21 out of the 26 parliamentary seats in Johor in 2013.
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