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Explainer | In Johor election, is Malaysia’s Umno seeking stability or a ‘get-out-of-jail’ card for Najib?
- Johor leader Hasni Mohammad has insisted the snap poll is needed for the state’s stability but analysts say the move is to bolster Umno which had won recent regional elections
- They also argue a victory in Johor would give convicted ex-PM Najib an upper hand in the intraparty rivalry and the aftermath of a general election
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All-too familiar political rumblings are once again being heard in Malaysia, as the country prepares for its fourth statewide election in the Covid-19 era.
The upcoming vote in the country’s second most populous state of Johor comes after Chief Minister Hasni Mohammad over the weekend received royal assent to dissolve the assembly.
Despite having the mandate to govern until June 2023, Hasni called for an early election citing the instability of having just a single-seat majority.
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A member of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s United Malays National Organisation (Umno), Hasni said it was crucial for him to have strong support to proceed with development plans. Polling day has yet to be set, but under the law, the election must be held within two months.
Most political analysts, who are largely unconvinced by Hasni’s rationale for triggering the polls, say the move – coming amid rising Covid-19 cases of the Omicron variant in Malaysia – is heavily connected to national-level political manoeuvrings as the country’s long-simmering political battle once again threatens to hit boiling point.
Out of the three other statewide polls held since September 2021, two contests – in Sabah and Melaka – were linked to the fierce battle for national power among Malaysia’s political camps, while the Sarawak election last December was held following the expiry of the state assembly’s mandate.
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