BN victory in Johor no guarantee of GE15 win: Hasni

JOHOR BARU – Barisan Nasional’s (BN) win in the Johor state election in March cannot guarantee a victory in the upcoming 15th general election (GE15), state BN chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad said.

He said BN needed to study many things and face challenges in its preparation for GE15, including ensuring that key performance indicators were set for Johor BN’s promises and having the coalition’s progress monitored.

“For instance, on the continued rising costs of goods, we are not sure if prices can be controlled or will drop by the end of the year. 

“That also goes for (the approval) of Employee Provident Fund withdrawals ... (What) if it’s a feel-good factor, but in four or five months, it’s not a certain thing anymore,” he told reporters after the Johor Umno Liaison Committee Meeting here yesterday.

Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan and Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi were also present.

Hasni, who is also Johor Umno liaison chairman, was commenting on the chances of BN maintaining the momentum of its victory in Johor for GE15.

The former Johor menteri besar also said that the 2022 Johor Budget’s performance required attention.

“We see at the initial stage that we need to ensure that BN’s promises must be monitored and KPIs need to be set, in addition to the 2022 Budget.

“If GE15 is held this year, with KPIs and specific monitoring of our promises and the budget’s performance, we are confident we can be better prepared to face the challenges of the upcoming election,” he said.

Hasni said Johor Umno and the state government would strengthen its strategic cooperation through the establishment of a coordinating committee comprising four Johor Umno representatives and four state government representatives, who might be possibly derived from the Johor state executive council.

He said Onn Hafiz had also stated his commitment and readiness to consider and take the initiative to ensure better strategic cooperation between the party and the government.

Incidentally, this meeting was the first for Onn Hafiz after his appointment as Johor menteri besar following the state elections. – Bernama, April 24, 2022