MP SPEAKS | Johor polls: Old normal vs new order

MP SPEAKS | The forthcoming Johor state election is clearly a contest between going back to the old normal and constructing a new order.

The excuse given by Menteri Besar Hasni Mohammad from Umno for dissolving the state assembly showed exactly how Umno and BN want to bring us back to the old normal - to the one-party rule order.

A one-seat majority state government is not new in Malaysia. After the Pengkalan Pasir by-election in December 2005, the Kelantan state government under the leadership of the late Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat had a majority of only one seat.

At that time, PAS was an opposition party at the federal level. Yet, the PAS state government survived and was only dissolved three years later for the 2008 general election.

Compared to the present Johor scenario, the sitting prime minister, as well as the menteri besar, are both from Umno. Most importantly, Umno has large decision-making power in both the federal and state governments. Yet, the party feels that it is difficult to govern Johor because it only has a one-seat majority.

What does this tell us, especially when we compare Kelantan in 2005 and present time Johor?

Basically, Umno and BN reject the new order where it is possible for a government to function under a slim majority. They greedily covet a two-third solid control as in the pre-2018 era.

To many Umno/BN supporters, the pre-2018 was...