KUALA LUMPUR – Johor will finally have a new set of state executive council members this Saturday, a full two weeks after Barisan Nasional (BN) scored a landslide victory in the southern state on March 12.
This was confirmed by newly minted Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, in a brief Facebook post this morning.
“Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has consented to the swearing-in ceremony of the exco members to be held on Saturday, March 26, at Istana Bukit Serene,” he said.
Earlier today, Onn Hafiz was granted an audience with the Johor ruler, during which the menteri besar presented his proposed list of exco members.
Onn Hafiz was sworn in as menteri besar on March 15, three days after BN won the state election by a supermajority of 40 out of the 56 seats up for grabs.
The 43-year-old grandson of the late former prime minister Tun Hussein Onn defeated three candidates for the Machap seat, garnering a handsome majority of 11,029 votes.
The position was initially tipped to go to Johor Umno liaison chief and 18th menteri besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad, but it is understood the Johor palace had played a role in the appointment of Onn Hafiz.
Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had on several occasions publicly announced Hasni as the party’s menteri besar candidate, even confirming it during his victory speech immediately after the state election on the night of March 12.
Zahid had also appeared to take a dig at Onn Hafiz’s appointment when he said at the Umno general assembly on March 18 that “what was ordered wasn’t what was delivered”. – The Vibes, March 24, 2022
