JOHOR BARU – Barisan Nasional (BN) is putting high hopes in Johor to be the biggest contributor of parliamentary seats for the coalition in the 15th general election (GE15), hence restoring the state as a BN stronghold.
BN deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the coalition’s priority now is to win big with a high target set for Johor BN.
“I want Johor to win at least 20 parliamentary seats and be the main contributor in our bid to form a new BN government at the federal level.
“So, it is a very tall order. Heavy tasks await Johor BN. We hope Johor BN will win 20 out of the 26 parliamentary seats available in the state,” he told reporters before chairing the Johor BN Coordination Committee meeting here today, which was also attended by Johor BN chief Datuk Hasni Mohammad.
Also present were Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan and Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, as well as MCA Presiden Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, and MIC vice-president Datuk M. Asojan.
As BN’s priority is to win, the selection of candidates would be done based on merit, Mohamad said.
“We don’t have a rule of thumb saying it should all be old faces or new faces,” he said.
What’s for sure, he said, is that GE25 will see BN component parties working as a strong team and not in silos like before.
“So, even if MCA or MIC is not contesting for certain seats, their election machinery will also be mobilised,” he said.
In GE14, Pakatan Harapan won 18 of the state’s parliamentary seats, while BN only managed to secure eight. In GE13, BN won 21 seats while the opposition took the remaining five. – Bernama, August 18, 2022
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