JOHOR BAHRU: Johor Amanah is accused of being "ungrateful" for forgetting the contributions and sacrifices made by Umno, which allowed the party to contest in the Pulai parliamentary and Simpang Jeram state assembly seats last year.
Johor Umno secretary, Datuk Abdul Halim Suleiman, stated that Johor Umno at that time generously allowed Amanah to field their candidates, even though these two seats were traditionally held by Umno.
He said Johor Amanah seems to have forgotten Umno's goodwill when they stated that the principle of incumbency does not apply to the 56 state assembly seats in Johor, because they view Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Johor as the opposition.
"Perhaps Johor Amanah has forgotten about the two by-elections for the Pulai parliamentary seat and Simpang Jeram state assembly seat, where Umno allowed their candidates to contest, even though Umno could have claimed the two seats as they have traditionally been ours.
"However, Umno was generous and even provided full campaign support and votes for the two Amanah candidates, leading to their victory. The proverb "bagai kacang lupakan kulit" is very fitting.
"Let Umno-Barisan Nasional (BN) continue to contest in these traditional seats. Johor Amanah should respect Umno's sacrifices just as we made way for them previously," he said in a statement today.
Yesterday, the media reported that the principle of incumbency does not apply to the 56 state assembly seats in Johor because PH is considered the opposition in the state.
Johor Amanah deputy chairman, Dzulkefly Ahmad, reportedly said that this was proven by the fact that none of the 11 members of the Johor executive council (Exco) were from PH, with all being from Umno/BN.
Dzulkefly was quoted saying that the main dissatisfaction with Amanah, especially in Kluang, is the reality that there is no unity government in Johor as there is in Putrajaya and other states with a chief minister from BN.
Last Tuesday, deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was reported saying that the unity government candidate for the Mahkota state assembly by-election would be represented by BN.
Zahid Hamidi, who is also BN's chairman, reportedly said that they would be prepared to face the by-election, with the nomination and early voting dates set for September 14 and 24, respectively.
In the 2022 Johor state election, the late Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, who represented BN, won the Mahkota state assembly seat with a majority of 5,166.
The Election Commission (SPR) has set the polling day for the Mahkota state assembly by-election for September 28.
SPR chairman, Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun, was reported saying that the nomination and early voting dates are set for September 14 and 24, respectively.
Meanwhile, Abdul Halim, who is also the Umno division chief of Tebrau, said that the call from the Johor Amanah deputy chairman for the chief minister, Datuk Onn Hafiz, to immediately create harmony between BN and PH in the state, was a statement that did not reflect self-awareness.
He said that the political and administrative environment in Johor has always been peaceful and harmonious since the state election and the 15th general election (GE15).
"Previously, Johor PH, especially DAP and PKR, respected the state government's leadership position. This is because those two parties understand that the Johor government was formed before GE15 and before the existence of the unity government.
"In fact, the former Amanah deputy president who was also the previous Johor PH's chairman, the late Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, made a statement last year that Johor PH would not demand any positions, including in the Johor executive council, even though at the federal level, PH and BN have formed a unity government.
"But it is only Johor amanah that is causing trouble and constantly bringing up the appointments of Excos, council members, and village heads in the state," he said.