KUALA LUMPUR: Bersatu has rejected Umno’s claim that Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) position in Johor with a single seat majority was already unstable, making it inevitable for polls to be called.
Citing Kelantan as an example, Bersatu information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan said that PAS won the state in 2004 with a majority of only two seats, yet the government remained stable.
“Even when one of its assemblyman died and the majority came down to just one, the Kelantan government remained in place until the 2008 general election,” he said in a statement issued yesterday.
“It means that if you are good at administering, then there is no problem.”
Wan Saiful claimed that without Bersatu’s presence in the Johor state government, corruption would become rampant.
He was commenting on Mentri Besar (MB) Datuk Hasni Mohamad’s rationale for dissolving the state assembly and calling for elections.
PN’s majority in the state legislature was reduced to only one seat on the death of Kempas asssemblyman Datuk Osman Sapian in December.
When Hasni Mohamad announced the dissolution of the state assembly, he claimed that it was unavoidable, given that the government had only a one-seat majority.
Osman was a member of Bersatu, a component of the PN alliance that administered Johor before the state assembly was dissolved.
Barisan Nasional (BN), however, has decided to go it alone in the polls, thus cutting ties with PN partner Bersatu and Muafakat Nasional ally PAS.
Hasni, who is Johor Umno liaison committee chairman, said a stronger government would lead to more development for the state and its people.
“It will also enable the state government to move forward rather than be at the mercy of the Opposition,” he added.
In January, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar gave his royal assent to dissolve the Johor assembly, paving the way for an early state election.
Umno had 16 seats in the state assembly. Combined with Bersatu’s 11 seats and one by PAS, it had 28 seats, one more than Pakatan Harapan (PH), which had 27.
Of PH’s 27 seats, DAP held 14, PKR (seven) and Amanah (six).
The Election Commission is expected to meet today to decide on nomination and polling dates.
