GE15: it was a tooth and nail fight in Johor, DAP’s Liew admits

JOHOR BARU – Despite retaining almost all the seats it won in the previous national polls, a senior Johor Pakatan Harapan (PH) leader admitted that the coalition faced a stiff challenge from its opponents in the recently concluded 15th general election (GE15). 

Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong said that, despite PH’s efforts, some of the seats it won in GE14 were either lost to Barisan Nasional (BN) or remained with Bersatu, its former component party which is now part of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition. 

“We fought a very hard battle and we kept most of the seats we won in the last general election, with the exception of Simpang Renggam.  

“PH won 18 (parliamentary seats) in 2018, which included Pagoh and Tg Piai (both contested and won by Bersatu using a PH ticket in GE14) ,” Liew, who successfully helped the coalition defend the Iskandar Puteri parliamentary seat in yesterday’s election, said in a reply to The Vibes. 

PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin retained his Pagoh seat for a ninth term while incumbent Tg Piai MP Datuk Seri Wee Jeck Seng also defended his seat. 

BN also wrested Simpang Renggam from PH, with the state Umno chief Datuk Hasni Mohammad defeating the incumbent Maszlee Malik of PKR and two other candidates, winning with a majority of 1,821 votes. 

In the last general election, Maszlee, who was then a Bersatu member, won the seat in a three-cornered contest involving Gerakan and PAS, with a majority of 3,475 votes. 

Taking to Twitter, the former education minister said that he accepted his defeat with an open heart. 

“I have given my all to you (Simpang Renggam constituents) and I would like to apologise for any mistakes I committed while carrying out my duties (as an elected representative).”

Meanwhile, Liew added that Johor PH continued to receive “a significant number of Malay middle-ground votes.” 

“In the northern states, they mostly went to PN,” admitted the DAP strategist. 

There are 26 parliamentary seats in Johor, the state with the second most federal constituencies after Sarawak, which has 31 seats. – The Vibes, November 20, 2022