OSMAN Sapian’s resignation as Johor menteri besar less than a year into the job shows how much influence the Johor royalty has in determining the state’s leadership, political analysts said.

Speculation that Osman would resign was confirmed yesterday when the crown prince revealed that the Johor palace had decreed his replacement months ago after he fell out of favour with Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.

“It shows that Istana Johor is still strong (when it comes to) determining the leadership of Johor. It is best that Osman’s successor be someone who can be on good terms with the palace and with the people,” said politics lecturer Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakob of Universiti Malaya.

Osman’s downfall was that he failed to maintain a relationship between the state government and the palace.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad also confirmed speculation surrounding Osman when he announced the Bersatu politician’s resignation yesterday.

The Kempas assemblyman, who held the state before with Umno before joining Bersatu, tendered his resignation letter to Dr Mahathir on Monday.

Dr Mahathir said one letter was addressed to him, the prime minister, while another letter was to the sultan of Johor.

The prime minister’s announcement came a few hours after he and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong held their 9th bilateral leaders’ summit in Putrajaya.

Osman, who should have been present as menteri besar, was absent, and was instead replaced by the exco for health, environment and agriculture, Sahruddin Jamal.

Incidentally, Sahruddin, the Bukit Kepong assemblyman and Osman’s colleague from Bersatu, is one of three names speculated to be Osman’s successor. 

Wrong moves

Osman’s resignation is the first of a Pakatan Harapan menteri besar since the coalition won federal power and in all states in the peninsula, except Kelantan, Terengganu, Perlis and Pahang.

Johor, the birthplace of Umno and its stronghold, was a crown jewel in PH’s win, and was among the additional states that PH won besides Kedah, Perak, and Negri Sembilan.

But for those who followed political developments in Johor since GE14, Osman’s resignation has not come as a surprise. He drew controversy from the start as menteri besar.

In the first press conference as menteri besar, Osman said the state would not disburse funds to opposition assemblymen from Umno.

His position was directly at odds with PH policy to treat all elected representatives fairly, so as to respect the people’s choice. 

In January, Osman caused a diplomatic stir with Singapore when he boarded a boat which entered the republic’s maritime boundary in the Johor Strait without Wisma Putra’s approval. 

This led to Singapore sending a protest note to Malaysia and suspension of the annual Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee meeting on Iskandar Malaysia (JMCIM). The reason cited was Osman’s intrusion into Singapore waters.

Osman also controversially left Johor for a working visit to Batam, Indonesia, at the height of the Sg Kim Kim toxic waste pollution crisis in Pasir Gudang, last month.

His defence was that the visit was arranged long before the contamination incident and that he had cut it down to a day trip.

In his 11 months as menteri besar, Osman was frequently criticised by his predecessor from Barisan Nasional, Khaled Nordin, for recycling BN’s policies for the state instead of developing new ones.

Media reports on Osman recently have also speculated that the Johor palace was upset with Osman for failing to develop a plan for the state’s economy as requested by the sultan.

Possible replacements

For PH Johor, Osman’s resignation is a test of the coalition’s cohesiveness as component parties try to push forth their man for the post.

PH has a two-thirds majority in the state legislature, winning 39 out of 56 seats in GE14. BN has 16 seats while PAS has only one seat.

Of the 39 seats won by PH, DAP has 14, followed by Bersatu (11), Amanah (9), and PKR (5).

“This is a test of how the component parties and their elected representatives will deal with the issue in order to ensure that political stability continues,” said a state PH leader who declined to be identified.

“It is important for Johor voters to see that the political transition process is done in an ethical and professional manner.”

The three names said to be in the running as Osman’s replacement are:

Dr Sahruddin Jamal, Bukit Kepong assemblyman

The 44-year-old state exco member has a medical degree from Hasanuddin University in Makassar, Indonesia. He practised at his own clinic in Pagoh and Bukit Pasir before becoming an elected representative.

The Muar native contested in GE14 as a first-time candidate, winning the Bukit Kepong seat by 1,273 votes, beating the BN and PAS candidates.

Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar, youth, sports and cultural exco

Khuzzan from PKR won the Semerah state seat in GE14 by a slim margin of 98 votes over his BN and PAs rivals. It was the 51-year-old’s first win but not his first attempt as a candidate. In GE13, he contested the Seri Gading parliamentary seat but lost.

Khuzzan has worked for more than 20 years in the finance sector, mainly handling compliance for a remittance company.

He has been a PKR member since the start of the reformasi movement of 1999. Within the party, he has been a branch committee member and Johor PKR secretary.

Mazlan Bujang, public works, infrastructure and transport exco

The Puteri Wangsa assemblyman from Bersatu won the seat as a first-time candidate. He is from Johor Baru. – April 10, 2019.