Johor BN secretary Abdul Halim Suleiman said it was inaccurate to label the decision as a form of treachery as the Johor political situation was different from the cooperation between PH and BN at the federal level.

Halim said the current state government, which comprises BN representatives, was voted in at the 2022 polls, when BN won 40 of the 56 seats through Umno, with PH winning 12, Perikatan Nasional three, and Muda one.

“How is it treachery when BN merely wants to defend their seats? We did not betray anyone. It is not treacherous to contest for seats in a democracy,” he said in a statement.

Although PH and BN are partners in the federal coalition, the Johor government is formed by only the BN representatives.

Halim was responding to DAP’s Ramkarpal Singh who said that Johor BN’s decision was a “clear and unequivocal indication of Umno’s betrayal of PH”.

Ramkarpal, the DAP legal bureau chairman, had said that there could be no doubt that Umno could not be trusted, taking into account the decision by Umno assemblymen in Negeri Sembilan last month to withdraw support from menteri besar Aminuddin Harun. Aminuddin, from PKR, is the state PH chairman.

“It would be foolish to expect loyalty from them at the federal level,” Ramkarpal said.

On Saturday, Johor BN chief Onn Hafiz Ghazi said BN will contest in every Johor state assembly seat. Johor PH announced earlier today that it would do the same.

The Johor state assembly’s term expires in April next year unless it is dissolved earlier. Elections must be held within 60 days of dissolution.