Malaysia

GE15: Pakatan unlikely to repeat crushing Johor defeat, says PKR’s Akmal

Incumbent Johor Baru MP notes Covid-19 movement curbs led to low turnout for state polls

Updated 3 years ago · Published on 15 Nov 2022 9:00AM

GE15: Pakatan unlikely to repeat crushing Johor defeat, says PKR’s Akmal — Pakatan Harapan’s incumbent Johor Baru MP Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir says that with the improving Covid-19 situation in the country as well as the lifting of movement restrictions, the coming general election will see a higher voter turnout in Johor than the state polls in March this year. – IKHWAN ZULKAFLEE/The Vibes pic, November 15, 2022

by Ikhwan Zulkaflee

JOHOR BARU – Despite its woeful performance in last March’s Johor election, Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) incumbent Johor Baru MP Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir believes the coalition could bounce back and perform admirably in this Saturday’s general election (GE15).

Akmal, who will be defending his parliamentary seat this weekend, said that the state polls results do not reflect the actual situation on the ground.

The Larkin native said many voters who live and work outside Johor could not return to vote in the state polls as it was held while the country was still in the Covid-19 pandemic phase.

As the Singapore-Malaysia border in Johor Baru was closed during the period, thousands of Johoreans who work in the neighbouring country could not make the trip back to the state, even if they wanted to.

March’s Johor election saw only about 55% of eligible voters cast their ballots as Barisan Nasional (BN) reclaimed its prize asset from PH after losing the state in the previous general election.

BN won 40 out of 56 seats offered in Johor, forming the state government with a two-thirds majority.

A woman voting at SMK Aminuddin Baki in Johor Baru during the Johor election on March 12 this year. The state polls saw a low turnout of only around 55%. – The Vibes file pic, November 15, 2022

“I highlighted this issue in Parliament, but the speaker told me not to politicise it,” Akmal told The Vibes when met at his command centre in Larkin yesterday.

He said that with the improving Covid-19 situation in the country as well as the lifting of movement restrictions, he believes GE15 will see a higher voter turnout than the state polls.

We still need to ensure an increase in voter turnout – but simply because of the lack of restrictions faced by the voters today – I don’t think that the same situation we’ve seen in March will repeat this time,” said the 36-year-old politician.

The incumbent Johor Baru MP is set for a four-cornered fight to defend his seat. Akmal will be challenged by Mohd Mohtaj Yacob (Perikatan Nasional), Johan Arifin Mohd Ropi (BN), and Mohd Akhiri Mahmood (Gerakan Tanah Air).

Akmal was dubbed a giant-killer for his performance in GE14, defeating BN’s candidate and Umno veteran Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad.

Akmal received 50,052 votes against Shahrir’s 30,270 votes, winning the parliamentary seat with a majority of 19,782. – The Vibes, November 15, 2022