KUALA LUMPUR – Simpang Renggam MP Maszlee Malik is set to become PKR’s choice for Johor menteri besar in the upcoming state election.
Multiple sources have told The Vibes that the former education minister, who recently joined PKR, is also currently the opposition’s frontrunner for the top post.
Any final decision on the matter will depend on upcoming discussions between the Pakatan Harapan (PH) component parties, as approval must be obtained from DAP and Amanah.
The two parties are said to have other prospective candidates in mind, and a compromise may have to be made for the coalition to reach a consensus.
Johor PKR chief Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh confirmed that his party has finalised a name for the menteri besar position, but stopped short of naming him, pending discussion among PH’s top brass.
He said that both DAP and Amanah have yet to be officially informed of PKR’s pick.
“As far as we are concerned, we need to discuss this with our PH partners first. We won’t divulge details yet. It is not for us (PKR) to announce ourselves,” he told The Vibes today.
State party deputy chief Jimmy Puah, however, indicated that Maszlee is most likely PKR’s pick, but contradicted Syed Ibrahim in saying that the party’s choice of menteri besar is yet to be finalised.
“I think you know PKR is exploring the idea of Maszlee as our candidate. We are getting feedback from the ground as to whether he is a viable choice, but no final decision has been made.
“So far, I would say the public response to having Maszlee as menteri besar has been very positive, especially among the young Malays. They are excited.”
Another source who requested anonymity said Maszlee will be contesting in the Layang-Layang state constituency, which is one of two seats under his Simpang Renggam parliamentary seat.
PKR is understood to be in the final stages of identifying candidates for the Johor election, ahead of the February 26 nomination day. Polling has been set for March 12.
Presidential council to decide
Maszlee first rose to prominence when he contested and won the Simpang Renggam seat in the 2018 general election under the Bersatu banner.
The native Johorean was later appointed by then prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to oversee the education portfolio, before being pressured into resigning in January 2020 amid continued public backlash.
Following the infamous Sheraton Move in February 2020, Maszlee was then sacked from Bersatu with four other MPs as they refused to take part in the new Perikatan Nasional government.
He has been an independent MP since, before announcing himself as a PKR member last November.
Meanwhile, Amanah deputy president Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub said the question of whether his party and DAP have identified their choices of menteri besar does not arise as this will be decided by the PH presidential council.
The Pulai MP said that while there has been an informal proposal to name Maszlee, PKR has yet to formally express its intention to the other component parties.
“Everything has to be discussed under the presidential council before we make a decision. That’s the spirit of PH,” he said when contacted.
Asked which among the parties in the coalition has the right to the state’s top post based on previous negotiations, Salahuddin said this has also yet to be established.
Following PH’s Johor victory during the 2018 election, the responsibility to govern the state was given to Bersatu.
Things changed in February 2020 when the power struggle at the federal level also saw the collapse of the Johor PH government, with Umno then leading the state.
Besides Maszlee, other potential PH candidates for menteri besar are said to include Salahuddin, who is the incumbent Simpang Jeram assemblyman; state opposition chief Aminolhuda Hassan, and Muda’s Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
BN is set to name incumbent menteri besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad from Umno as its choice for the top post, while Special Functions Minister Datuk Abdul Latiff Ahmad from Bersatu is rumoured to be Perikatan Nasional’s pick. – The Vibes, February 12, 2022
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