TRANSPORT Minister Anthony Loke and Johor caretaker Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi have engineered a dramatic public truce on a railway platform in Kulai, meeting face to face for the first time since their recent explosive feud over cross party governance which seemed to fracture the political landscape of the ongoing Johor state election.
The two high profile figures shook hands and engaged in warm dialogue as they joined forces to launch the new Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTM) Komuter southern service line, effectively transforming a hostile political standoff into a display of professional civility.
The new Southern Sector rail service was officially launched today in Kulai, utilising an existing fleet of transit carriages to connect the busy commuter corridor down to the Johor capital.
With the state election campaign intensifying across Johor, their every gesture was heavily scrutinised by mass ranks of media who had gathered at the station to witness whether the toxic relationship would derail the launch of the vital new Kulai to Johor Bahru commuter link.
Any expectation of awkwardness quickly faded. Loke arrived ahead of schedule to wait for the arrival of the caretaker Menteri Besar, moving forward to shake his hand with a polite inquiry of “how are you” as his rival stepped from his official car.
Once inside the VIP enclosure, the two politicians appeared remarkably relaxed, frequently leaning in to converse in hushed tones and behaving in a natural manner that seemed completely unhindered by their recent public hostilities.
The underlying feud had originally erupted during a Barisan Nasional election rally when Onn Hafiz declared to supporters that he would rather not be the Menteri Besar for Johor than sit at the same table with the DAP, an aggressive rhetorical stance aimed at ruling out any future power sharing coalition in Johor.
The declaration immediately provoked a sharp and public retaliation from Loke in his capacity as DAP Secretary General.
Loke hit back by circulating a strategic photograph on social media depicting himself sitting directly alongside Deputy Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional Chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi then, mockingly pointing out to the public that the top leader of Barisan Nasional sits next to him at federal Cabinet meetings every single week.
The Transport Minister later weaponised the launch of the Pakatan Harapan election machinery to issue a highly publicised invitation to Onn Hafiz, challenging the state leader to join him on the maiden journey of the southern commuter train.
The challenge effectively escalated the row from a debate over who would sit at the same table into a highly visible public test of who would ride on the same train.
Onn Hafiz initially countered by telling the media that his office had not received a formal invitation to the railway event, but he generously added that he was prepared to attend if asked.
The physical appearance of the caretaker Menteri Besar at the railway station on Tuesday delivered on that pledge, bringing an abrupt halt to a cycle of intense political manoeuvrings that had dominated the news cycle for days. - June 16, 2026
