KUALA LUMPUR: As in Kedah, said a political analyst in his latest blog posting, it would be extremely difficult to avoid political changes in Johor. “With the Opposition having 18 of the 56 state assembly seats in Johor, change would not be out of the ordinary in the wake of Muhyiddin Yassin being victimised by Umno.”

“First, Muhyiddin was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister, and now he has been suspended as Umno Deputy President.”

Shahbudin Husin, the analyst, recalled that when Mukhriz Mahathir was pressured to resign as Kedah Menteri Besar, many people flew the Barisan Nasional (BN) flag upside down in the state as a sign of protest. “Now, the same thing was happening in Johor.”

Hardly days after Muhyiddin’s suspension, added the analyst, it’s clear that Johor faces major challenges ahead, a probability raised by Menteri Besar Khaled Nordin. “He believes that the signs of protest, which have already emerged in Johor, will continue to grow.”

“Khaled is one of the Umno leaders who is rational and brave enough to acknowledge that things are not going to get better in Johor for Umno in the wake of Muhyiddin’s suspension.”

Shahbudin quoted Khaled as saying that “the suspension decision poses a major challenge in Johor and Umno needs to work hard”.

No doubt, said the analyst, other Umno leaders continue to belabour in their delusions, as evident from their public statements. “These statements are nothing more than exercises in sycophancy. They refuse to accept reality and see the writing on the wall.”

“They are probably expecting even more handouts for their public statements which lavish praise on the one who keeps feeding them.”