Johor polls: PH to meet soon on MB candidate, says Anwar

SEGAMAT – Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Menteri Besar candidate should be finalised in the coming days, with discussions among the coalition’s top leadership expected to take place soon, said PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“We have had the initial meetings, but a meeting with the entire PH leadership will be in a few days, because (PH chief secretary) Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail tested positive for Covid-19 and he just got released.

“But ultimately, we have to win first,” said Anwar on the sidelines of his campaign trail in northern Johor.

Anwar revealed that PH leaders will be meeting tonight to finalise the coalition’s election manifesto for Johor voters.

Separately, Anwar welcomed the new regulations announced by the Election Commission (EC), which include allowing open speeches to be held in the vicinity of a party’s offices and operation rooms.

However, he lamented the ban on public speeches.

“Well, that was part of what we asked from the prime minister, but we also asked for leniency to speak to the people in the masses.

“He has the mainstream media; he has the money. We just want to meet the masses,” he said.

The updated standard operating procedures (SOPs) announced by the EC entailed, among others, the cap on physical campaigning, which has been stretched from 10pm to 12am.

When asked about certain quarters claiming PH’s campaign trail has been underwhelming, Anwar disagreed, saying the larger machinery of the older and larger parties has made it seem like more is being done.

“To me, the mobilisation (of PH) has been good. I see through my reports the movement on the ground, but maybe it does not appear as large as the other parties.

“Then, there is also the need to adhere to the SOPs, where being slightly out of line can get you fined like Mat Sabu yesterday,” he said.

Anwar was referring to an incident yesterday, where authorities from the Johor Baru Health Department issued three compounds against an organiser of a PH rally held in Kota Iskandar.

Among them were speakers at the event who were not wearing masks during speeches, not maintaining social distancing protocols, and not ensuring entry as well as exit points.

For each offence, the organiser was fined RM1,000, bringing the compound total to RM3,000. – The Vibes, March 2, 2022