TRANSPORT Minister and DAP Secretary General Anthony Loke has publicly invited Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Onn Hafiz Ghazi to share a train carriage with him during an official ministry launch next Tuesday, directly challenging the Johor UMNO chief's recent anti DAP stance.
The invitation follows a declaration by Onn Hafiz, who stated that he would rather surrender his leadership positions than sit at the same table as representatives from DAP.
Loke used a political rally in Seremban to respond, revealing that the Ministry of Transport is utilising existing allocations to launch a new KTM Komuter Selatan service running from Kulai to Johor Bahru without requiring additional funding from the Ministry of Finance.
"The Ministry of Transport has an existing allocation. We will launch a new initiative for the KTM Komuter Selatan service from Kulai to Johor Bahru without requesting additional funding from the Ministry of Finance.
“As the Transport Minister, I will be at the Kulai Station next Tuesday at noon and will board the train as a sign of the launch from Kulai to Johor Bahru.
“I want to invite the Johor Chief Minister, Datuk Onn Hafiz. I invite him to sit together in the train with me, even though he said he does not want to sit with DAP," BH reported Loke saying.
The Seremban Member of Parliament and Chennah state assemblyman reminded the Johor Menteri Besar that DAP remains an integral component of the Federal Unity Government, noting his own position as a federal minister.
Loke further pointed out the operational realities of the current administration, stating that he had sat directly next to UMNO President and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi during a cabinet meeting just a day prior.
"Never mind, there are some people who think they are higher than others, even though they are not actually that high," Loke said.
The exchange underscores the ongoing ideological friction within the federal ruling alliance as individual parties navigate internal grassroots sentiments ahead of regional electoral campaigns, with federal leaders attempting to balance local political posturing against national administrative cooperation. - June 13, 2026
