Khaled, the federal defence minister, said Malaysia’s political landscape is not like before, and that there could be different political aliances at the federal and state levels.

“The unity government remains intact. We must just accept the reality that the political situation now is different from before.

“In this current era, no single party will dominate. It could be (one political configuration) in the federal government and a different one in the state government,” he said, according to Berita Harian.

The Kota Tinggi MP added that the challenge lies in educating Malaysians to accept that this would be the political norm for the foreseeable future.

The Johor assembly was dissolved yesterday, paving the way for the 16th state election which must be held within 60 days.

Barisan Nasional is set to go solo in the state polls, setting up clashes with federal ally Pakatan Harapan.