Monday 14 March 2022

Say no to erosion of democracy in Johor (updated)

 I will not vote for BN in GE15 if this guy becomes the new Johor MB.

And I'll pray for his uncle to lose in Semberong too.


Updates at 10:15, March 15, 2022

This is an article written this morning by a JB-based journalist.

And he's a Chinese.

Hasni: BN’s unsung Johor hero

By Ben Tan

Malay Mail

We have certainly read plenty about political careers that have been cut short by extramarital affairs or misconduct, but usually never about a politician, who less than 48 hours ago, led his party to a resounding victory and was given a strong mandate to lead in a state election.

In Johor, such a scenario looks set to take place after Barisan Nasional (BN) mentri besar-designate Datuk Hasni Mohammad signalled that he will pass on the all-important post to someone younger.

In a statement issued last night, the 62-year-old Hasni (he turns 63 on March 27) conceded that he will not head the new state government but will instead give way to a younger candidate.

His statement also hinted that he was a victim of political intrigue that was beyond his power. Surprising for a survivor of numerous political turmoils and upheavals over the years.

Unexpected turn of events

As a Johor leader, Hasni has always been conscious about the state’s multiracial demographic. Under his stewardship, he has been credited with steering Johor BN to reject divisive racial politicking, while ensuring that the coalition anchored by Umno remains inclusive and pluralistic.

An Umno insider close to Hasni’s administration said the turn of events was not only unexpected but a disappointment for all within the party and a loss for Johoreans.

“Unbelievable, the MB who called for the dissolution of the Johor state assembly, paving the way for a state election and later giving BN a landslide victory, is not an MB anymore.

“By tomorrow, we would all know if there will be a new Johor mentri besar besides Datuk Hasni,” the Umno insider told Malay Mail late last night. 

Hailed as Johor BN’s “Poster Boy”, Hasni had led the coalition to a spectacular super-majority win after securing 40 out of 56 state seats in last Saturday’s state election.

He had envisioned Johor BN would take the lead on the national stage, ultimately being a model for the coalition’s return as a relevant political force.

However, Hasni's expected appointment as Johor mentri besar yesterday did not take place. Rumours circulated that he was not named despite the clamour that he would return to the post after the election.

By yesterday evening, party insiders at the Johor Mentri Besar’s official residence in Saujana here described the embattled Johor Umno chief as being emotionally withdrawn and that he had accepted his fate.

This was unlike the Hasni who steered Johor throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and had made the bold move to call for a snap state election, despite the risks.

Within Johor Umno, many leaders were rattled and questioned how to explain to the people who voted for Hasni that he would not be MB now.

Even veteran Umno leader Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad openly questioned the unexpected decision on his Facebook page last night, saying he was "ashamed" of his party. 

A dedicated Umno man

Hasni, who rose through Umno’s ranks to be the Johor mentri besar, hails from the semi-urban sub-district of Pengkalan Raja in Pekan Nanas which is under the geater parliamentary constituency of Tanjung Piai (it used to be under the Pontian parliamentary constituency).

The articulate four-term Benut assemblyman and former Pontian MP is known for his pleasant demeanor and well liked from both backbenchers within his own BN coalition, as well as the Opposition.

The same Umno insider described Hasni’s gentlemanly conduct as as his strong point for many years.

“Datuk Hasni is known to avoid personal conflict, instead preferring to use facts to argue his point. He is a fair person without any incriminating scandals to his name. 

“So much so, he is also respected by some of his political rivals,” said the insider.

This was evident during the recent campaign in the running-up to the state polls, where Opposition and rival politicians never directly criticised Hasni. They instead took it out on BN’s national leaders such Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The trained engineer has been described by his peers as also having an approachable and humble persona. Part of this was due to him being the son of a community leader and village head in Pekan Nanas.

His strong sense of loyalty to Umno was also from being an active Youth wing member and also his family’s support for the Malay nationalist party in the past. 

Such qualities made Hasni standout even when he returned to Malaysia after furthering his engineering degree at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in the United States during the 1980s.

Hasni, who was the Johor Opposition Leader when the federal and state government was under Pakatan Harapan (PH) in 2018, had managed to uphold Umni even after several of the party’s elected representatives in Johor defected to rival Malay party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).

During his stint in the Opposition bloc, he pushed for political reforms and better allocation from PH to his fellow BN assemblyman in the Johor state assembly.

Tanjung Piai, first step to reclaim Johor

Hasni’s big break came the following year in the Tanjung Piai parliamentary by-election in November 2019 where as the election director, he led BN to victory with a stunning majority over PH.

In the by-election, MCA’s Datuk Seri Wee Jeck Seng secured a 25,466 majority win over the then ruling PH coalition, while the Bersatu rival only polled 10,380 votes.

Many within BN’s top leadership saw Hasni’s capabilities and credited his efforts for the Tanjung Piai by-election win. 

His efforts were instrumental in what he later termed as the “Johor Way”, where the state’s BN would champion for Johoreans based upon multiracialism and consensus building across races.

First stint as Johor MB

Following the national political maneuvering, called the Sheraton Move that led to the formation of a new government under Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in March 2020, Hasni was then appointed to the post of Johor mentri besar.

From then on, his administration faced challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, starting with a nationwide lockdown, border closure as well as various restrictions.

Despite the uphill task, Hasni and his administration managed Johor well and introduced a stimulus package with several noted reforms. Among them is the increase of allocation for all assemblymen, irrespective of their political affiliation.

He was also among the few politicians that understood the need to boost south Johor’s economy. He noted that as long as the Johor-Singapore border closures are in place, Johor Baru and its surrounding areas will not be viable for business.

Johor polls, a test of BN’s return 

Last year, after Umno ousted Muhyiddin and installed Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as prime minister, Hasni saw a need for BN to establish a stable state government on its own.

Deputy Johor Umno chief Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the results favouring BN after the Melaka state election in November last year was a turning point.

“Hasni and the state leadership saw a real need to have a state election in order for BN to govern the state well.

“The decision was made after the death of former mentri besar and Bersatu assemblyman, the late Datuk Osman Sapian in December last year,” Nur Jazlan told Malay Mail.

Despite having an “understanding” with the Opposition PH state assemblymen as well as Perikatan Nasional (PN)-aligned Bersatu in the state administration, Hasni saw the need not to be bogged down by other political parties.

Hasni, who is the Johor Umno chief, together with Nur Jazlan and top Umno leaders then commissioned a study that showed that BN stood a good chance of winning if a snap state election is held.

Following that, Nur Jazlan and BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also the Umno president, worked tirelessly behind the scenes to plan a state election.

After the dissolution of the Johor state assembly in January, Hasni led the state election campaign with a stability theme as well as his “Ikhtiar BN Johor” pledges comprising economic growth, people’s wellbeing, the youth of Johor, governance with integrity and political reforms.

The pledges hit a note with Johoreans for being realistic and the result was last Saturday’s win after the ruling coalition secured 40 out of the 56 state seats.

For Hasni and the entire BN leadership, It was above expectations as the Umno-led coalition consisting of both MCA and MIC, had initially targeted to secure about 34 to 36 seats at most.

A new Johor MB?

Late last night, social media was abuzz about the new Johor mentri besar candidate, who some claimed was newly-elected incoming Machap assemblyman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.

Onn Hafiz is the great-grandson of Datuk Sir Onn Jaafar, Umno’s founding member and first president. The 44-year-old career politician is also the nephew of Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

Speculation and rumours also point to Onn Hafiz being the preferred choice of the Johor Palace.

Prior to the state election, the young politician’s name has also emerged as being a potential Johor mentri besar, taking into consideration of his family’s illustrious political heritage.

The ‘Johor Way’

Today, we should know who the new Johor mentri besar will be; he will also most probably be sworn in on the same day.

It may be difficult to describe Hasni’s fate as due to political interference, or rather the lack of.

What is certain is that in such testing times, Umno’s duty is to uphold and defend Hasni for it was him that did the same for the party.

He championed and turned Umno in Johor around when the party was at its lowest point in history back in 2018.

Based on BN’s recent win, Hasni’s plan was for Johor to have an all-inclusive state government that will represent the various ethnicities and their interests.

Despite his efforts, he may not lead it.

However, Hasni’s vision for all Johoreans to embrace the “Johor Way” in political discourse will hopefully live on.

37 comments:

  1. Hahaha... everyone has been outplayed! Kena klentong hidup2. Bangsa johor yg katanya membesar di Penang.

    Inilah dia sebenarnya ketuanan melayu ... elit!

    ReplyDelete
  2. In your previous post back in 2020, you said Onn Hafiz looks to be okay and reasonable, right? So why not supporting him for this MB role? If it is Puad Zarkashi, I totally understand if you want to pull out supporting UMNO.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was wrong. I can't support someone who is willing to be a slave.

      Delete
    2. "I can't support someone who is willing to be a slave." But you're 100% willing to support billion-songlapping kleptocrats.

      Great value system.

      This is the Malaysian disease.

      BossMu gives bloggers a little cash, gives the public a few BR1M handouts, you all jual pantat.

      Hilarious.

      Delete
  3. why it is a erosion of democracy?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Zh speaks with forked tonque. Before election says one thing. After ekection says another thing. Kena tipu hidup.Baru 2 hari dah tipu rakyat johor. Do you still trust this guy. Not me.period. How old is ZH. Going by the same logic all those above 60 in BN should give way to younger generation.It is a false pretenses.

      Delete
    2. A Leopard never changes its spots

      Delete
    3. i doubt zh is that powerful.

      if the same happened numerous times in the past, and happened in other democracy country as well, and not against the law, would we still wanna claim case like this as okay and perfectly in accordance with democracy values?

      Delete
    4. Anon 01:08, not just that, it seems all have been outplayed by someone higher up the hierachy... hahaha, padan muka rakyat, percaya lagi pada golongan elit...

      Delete
  4. Tak payah terBULU BULU sangat nak lantik pemimpin. Kena teliti merisik abis2an dulu.

    Taknak jadi macam kes Zeti
    Terbulu bulu Atok lantik dalam COUNCIL OF ELDERS??? Nah. Viral sikalang pasai keluarga dia?

    Professor Nasi Lemak

    ReplyDelete
  5. It is a question of trust and integrity. Promises must be fulfilled otherwise people will make up their mind that you’re untrustworthy and don’t want to do business with you. Once you lose trust by somebody, Nobody will trust till you die.

    BN had promised the people of Johor should BN won PRN, Hasni would be their sole candidate of MB. BN won big indeed with 2/3 majority. BN should kept to their words. Just give the people lah what had been promised.

    Otherwise BN will be like Atuk. Always scheming and manoeuvring to consolidate power. Manifesto is not a holy book la etc. We never thought we would win GE la as an excuse not fulfilled promises. Failure to name Anwar too as successor after PKR showed good spirit by honouring agreement signed by putting him as PM should PH won GE 14. When it comes to him to honour the agreement, he shredded it to bits and did as he wishes. Confounded friends and foe. It ended up with all people has been played by him.

    Pejuwang lost all the seats contested is befitting for him. All the the candidates lose their deposits too. Serve him right!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Too late:

      Machap assemblyperson Onn Hafiz Ghazi has been sworn in as the new Johor menteri besar.

      The Umno elected representative is believed to have taken the oath as menteri besar.

      Delete
  6. Wasnt it Hasni himself who asked party leaders to choose someone younger than him to be appointed to the post? It is an erosion of democracy if voters had voted exclusively for Hasni, rather than for BN. But to say that voters had solely voted for Hasni is to turn the PRN into a referendum for Hasni as MB. That wasnt the case. He gave up the MB post to give a fresh mandate for Johoreans to create political stability through BN. The Sultan concurred with this decision. And the Sultan also concurred with the choice of the new MB. That is paramount to stability. What creates instability is FACTIONALISM based on over-attachment to certain personalities. I think we should try our level best to avoid sowing discontent among the ranks which goes against Hasni's own intentions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You got the whole thing upside down. Sigh.

      Delete
    2. And you missed my plea to not sow discontent. Sigh.

      Delete
    3. Im only expressing my wish not to be led by those who are willing to be slaves in exchange for positions.

      Delete
    4. Annie you are underestimating your influencer role. Anyway i will continue to patronise your blog & not be enslaved by those who gain from instability.

      Delete
    5. Do you still believe this. It is just save face. It is a pr. If peoples voted bn with hope incumbent mb will be reappointed. We can say it not binding but we are talking about democracy. It is the will of the peoples. I am not a fan of bn or ph or other parties. But i am fan of choosing the right leader irrespective of parties. Any parties can suggest outstanding person as potential leader. Once the won party elected a scoundrel.It will be a death of democracy. Manifesto is toilet paper worth.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous15 March 2022 at 08:09

      "Wasn't it Hasni himself who asked party leaders to choose someone younger than him to be appointed to the post?"

      Dei, he will be given some fat gaji buta GLC post as a reward for stepping aside.

      In short, Wak Jahat, Mad Half Sum and Ah Jib Kor have liwatted Johor BN voters nicely.

      KHALAS!

      Delete
  7. Dah tak ada alasan lain, umur dijadikan alasan penentu...

    "Kau jangan lupa helang dan pipit terbang tak sama tinggi.

    "Kau baik tahu tempat masing-masing dan angan-angan itu rendahkan sikit daripada rumput"

    Peringatan utk rakyat marhain dekad ke2 abad 21 yg lupa diri..

    ReplyDelete
  8. Keadaan Johore mmg sgt2 menyedihkan. Am surprised PH won Perling?? Round tengok Perling klo tak caya. Macam pekan kawasan2 kampung aje sekarang.

    Banyak kerja2 pemulihan yg BN perlu galas.. so sabar2 la semua. Bukan sja pemilihan KM, Exco2 pun mesti pilih mereka yg benar2 dapat membantu KM.

    Kena betoi2 merisik latarbelakang keupayaan masing2 .. bab rasuah dan salah guna kuasa may need to korek deeper, spouses, anak menantu, cucu cicik sedara mara mereka. Takmau satni later on baru nak expose kekayaan luar biasa mereka macam kes anak2 Atok.

    No joke tau. Kekadang jumpa hal2 sang isteri yang buta huruf dlantik sbgai pengarah syarikat itu ini.. bulan2 elaun berkepok2 masuk dalam akaun, saham berlambak2 barang2 kemas berton dlm safety box. Takmau jadi camni nanti.

    Sabar2 la. Nak pilih pemimpin bukan mudah tau.

    Professor Nasi Lemak

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This i agree with choose a right leader to lead johor otherwise johor will always be cheap source of land labour food etc.. to southern neighbour. Hi tech design done in south cheap manufacturing in north.Ever wonder our neighbour used to be center of semiconductor countries.When these MNCs is spreading they could easily move north. Japan and korea used to be a nation of " copier" and contract manufacturer for western products but they also learned to reverse engineering these products.let hope leadership learns from relationship between hongkong and its nortern hinterland in 50s and 60s. Now look at Shenzhen Guangzhou now.

      Delete
  9. Aduihhh ... siapo punyo kojo ni ...

    Rakyat dah sonang dgn Hasni ... Zahid dah boghi jaminan ...

    Ado Hantu Puako yg mengilai ko ...?

    Hampehhh boto ....

    Waghih

    ReplyDelete
  10. https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2022/03/15/hasni-bns-unsung-johor-hero/2047513

    ReplyDelete
  11. If that guy becomes the new johor mb I will vote for BN in GE15 for I have never vote for BN in all my voting life. He has not promise anything spectacular that gives him the edge for not reneging on his words unlike other potentials who has promise plenty of goodies. I like the idea of leaders from elitist group for they gave the aura of grandeur. More so when johor considers itself as grand given the title bangsa johor to diferentiate ourselves from bangsa of other lesser states. Why should we go ordinary when we have always feel special. Besides, it is always good to disappoint voters then to please them. Not keeping our promises to the voters has become the norm. What's so special now? Idup bangsa johor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Echo you. Feudalism in 21 century. Rakyat is just canon fodder with memoryless dimentia.That can be steered to slaughterhouse like a cow with a rope as long as you give them rumput.

      Delete
  12. Translation/subtext

    goldmine + muar reclamation is a go

    fisherman + forest + mangrove swamps = endangered

    some people are always hungry even if the table is full

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sumber kami di Saujana mengatakan ADUN Benut tetap akan menjadi the next Johor MB
    3. Undang-undang Tubuh negeri Johor berbeza dengan Undang-undang Tubuh negeri Perlis
    7. Di Perlis, Raja Perlis boleh memilih sesiapa sahaja ADUN untuk menjadi Menteri Besar sehingga Dan Kassim mengamuk tempoh hari
    19. Di Johor, Ketua Negeri a.k.a Sultan mesti pilih ADUN yang disokong oleh MAJORITI Ahli-ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri

    Peace no War
    JUST PURE, CLEAN & FUN👊☕

    ReplyDelete
  14. I think BN must stick to Hasni and it was reported that they have 38 SDs submitted to nominate Hasni as next MB. His views and manners have opened many eyes back to BN and offered a fresh hope for BN. Please don't take that away as this country need stability and all races involved in rebuilding the country and economy after the pandemic.Giving him up for another preferred but less supported MB will not bide well for GE15 as this can also happens in future for next PM and MBs.Everybody from the very top top and the voters knew Hasni is the MB-designate for this PRN.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Biggest loser in last prn is not opposition but last mb. Its karma, He want "stability and perpectuality" of his post. Tapi kena checkmate. NOT a smart move. It will be a lesson to ZH that nothing is gaurranteed in life except death and taxes..quoting BF. You played the devil tune you have to pay the piper.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Proof that umno has not place for ppl like Hasni. He would have kept his post if he was only thinking of himself, but no, he puts party 1st.

      Umno baru is only fit for ppl yg tak tahu malu.

      Delete
    2. You trust the party but party have you for breakfast. Padam muka

      Delete
  16. we are doomed. a thief hoisted on the shoulders by voters, and the palace deciding on the MB.

    johor voters deserved what they got

    ReplyDelete
  17. Done deal already... let this be a lesson to the rakyat elsewhere. Never believe anything the politicians or the elites say. We are just lembu to them.

    May god have mercy on Msia

    ReplyDelete
  18. not a good day for malaysia. be it BN, PN or opposition.

    i hope on the first day of sitting, both sides of the aisle quits.

    ReplyDelete