As an MP who has led the constituency for seven terms, he is clear on what his party PPBM will face in the state.
However, he remains optimistic of the opposition’s chances, giving the example of Selangor which it wrested from Barisan Nasional (BN) in 2008.
“It was an Umno fortress, but because people in Selangor wanted change, the opposition managed to do the impossible.
“And from the last general election until today, the support for Pakatan Harapan (PH) has increased.”
Adding that many “impossible seats” were won in the 2013 general election, Muhyiddin said he believed the people would “do the impossible” once again in GE14.
“My hope is that the Malays who have supported Umno who want to see change will come out early on polling day after morning prayers to show their support for PH, and that when we ask, they will tell us that they cannot take it anymore, they want to get rid of Najib.”
Although acknowledging that Umno was strong, the PPBM president said the party no longer championed the people’s struggles.
“Umno has existed for a long time, yes, and they have widespread divisions nationwide, Johor included.
“But if the mindset is that ‘they are strong and therefore impenetrable’, we will never win the general election.”
He said there was no point defending a party that was no longer interested in championing the people’s struggle.
“Nothing bad will happen to you if you leave a party that has failed you. I left not because I was fired from the cabinet; I left because the party is no longer what it was before.”
No more ‘Chinese tsunami’
Muhyiddin said any “tsunami” in Johor this coming election would be multiracial, and not dependant on a single race.
He added that the wave of voters demanding change did not comprise only Chinese or Malays, as current issues had affected all races nationwide.
“When we conduct our talks now, they are no longer focused only on issues related to cost of living, but on how to save Malaysia from further deterioration due to issues that affect all races.
“These are interrelated issues such as the increase in oil price, corruption, and the goods and services tax. Only by saving the country will we be able to restore the livelihoods of Malaysians.”
The use of the term “tsunami” in politics came about after the 2013 general election, when Prime Minister Najib Razak said BN’s loss of many key urban seats was due to a “Chinese tsunami”.
However, Muhyiddin said regardless of race or ethnicity, people were unhappy with the government as they were struggling to make ends meet.
“We are not making up stories. I saw for myself when we went to markets – you can no longer buy much with RM50. Now you need at least RM100 to fill a basket with produce.
“People are troubled with debts not because they are repaying loans, but because they are trying to make ends meet. They have come to the point where they are borrowing money to put food on the table.”
He also dismissed the government’s claims that the economy was growing and that people in Johor were doing well.
He said there were many projects ongoing in Iskandar Malaysia but questioned the extent to which locals were benefiting from them.
“The purchasing power among Johoreans has worsened,” he said, adding that the issue was often raised during talks with the people.
Acknowledging concerns that PAS will split the votes in GE14, Muhyiddin said PPBM had already planned its strategy on the assumption that there would be three-cornered fights.
“That being said, it must be understood that PAS won seats in GE13 because the Chinese voters voted for the opposition, and PAS was part of Pakatan Rakyat then.
“It wasn’t the Malays who voted for them. If anything, PAS will lose badly this coming general election,” he said.