In the Sept 28 by-election, Kluang Amanah wanted its candidate to represent the unity government, arguing that it had previously won the seat in the 14th general election, which BN later regained in the 2022 state polls.
BN was ultimately chosen to contest and secured the seat with a majority of over 20,000 votes, with Pakatan Harapan as its ally.
Commenting on Johor Amanah’s ambition to contest up to 20 seats in the next state election, Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said this would create conflict with BN and should be avoided.
Mazlan said Amanah’s claim could stem from the 20 seats it contested in the 2022 state election, though it managed to win only one, Simpang Jeram.
He said that in today’s context, where both parties are part of a unity government at the federal level, they must demonstrate cooperation, as frequently emphasised by their leaders.
“When issues like (seat demands and differing opinions) keep surfacing, it creates the impression that there is no strong grassroots cooperation between BN and Amanah, despite the top leadership’s assurances of a good relationship
“Lower-level leaders need to follow the directives of the top leadership,” he told FMT.
Two days ago, Johor Amanah announced that it plans to contest between 12 and 20 seats in the next state election.
Its deputy state chairman, Dzulkefly Ahmad, reportedly said this was because of a lack of direct negotiations between the local chapters of PH and BN.
In response, Johor Umno secretary Abdul Halim Suleiman said the state chapter was prepared to take on Amanah at the polls. Party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi later clarified that this was a personal view.
National Council of Professors fellow Azmi Hassan said Johor Amanah’s claim should not be taken too seriously given its track record.
“As demonstrated in the Mahkota by-election, the agreed strategy for BN and PH in Johor was that the incumbent should contest. Previously, PH won 14 seats, with Amanah holding just one.
“So, the goal of contesting 20 state assembly seats seems unrealistic, and Amanah Johor’s ambitions don’t need to be given much weight,” he said.