CALLING the Johor elections in the middle of the Omicron wave and right after the festive season is a “calculated move” by Umno for its own political gain, Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said.

He accused Umno of targeting a low voter turnout to ensure its Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition secured victory.

In the Malacca polls in November, BN won 21 out of 28 seats contested, winning back the state it lost in the 2018 general election.

The elections were held under strict Covid-19 standard operating procedure, which contributed to a lower voter turnout of 65.8%, compared to the 84.52% three years ago.

“Umno wants you to stay at home. Umno wants the Chinese and Indians in particular not to turn up and vote,” Syed Saddiq told The Malaysian Insight.

“They witnessed what happened in Malacca and they don’t want Johor folk in Singapore to come back and vote.

“Why else would they want to call for an election in March with the Omicron wave, and why right after the Chinese community had spent a good time in their hometown? They have now returned to work and would need to come back all over again.

“It is a calculated move, which I think is highly irresponsible.”

The Muar MP and former youth and sports minister said low voter turnout will be key to an Umno victory.

In such a scenario, the assumption is that party workers and hardcore supporters would be the ones coming out to cast their ballots, while others, presumably disillusioned with the last two years of political turmoil, would stay home.

Umno-led BN has a one-seat majority in the Johor assembly but wants the elections to secure a better majority.

The move was criticised as Covid-19 cases are still high. The general election should be held in about a year’s time.

Currently, BN controls 16 state seats, through component parties Umno (14 seats) and MIC (2).

BN was in a tentative alliance with Perikatan Nasional (PN), with Bersatu holding 11 seats and PAS one.

Meanwhile, Pakatan Harapan (PH) had 27 seats through DAP (14), PKR (7) and Amanah (6).

Muda, which Syed Saddiq founded after being sacked from Bersatu following the “Sheraton move” in 2020, is not part of PH but is in talks to collaborate with the coalition, which includes candidate selection for seats.

The Election Commission will meet today to decide polling day.

Syed Saddiq said there was no reason to call an election during the pandemic, especially during the Omicron wave, as Johor is still under BN rule.

He called BN “power-crazy” and its concerns about political instability as excuses.

“They said they want stability. The Johor government was stable.

“Then they claimed they only had one or two additional seats. They have had one or two additional seats for the past two years. The opposition was not disturbing them.”

Syed Saddiq also alluded to factionalism within Umno, suggesting that those who want the elections are doing so to pressure Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who leans more towards Bersatu and PN.

“Just because they want to pressure Ismail and want to gain more seats for themselves, they dissolved the state government in the middle of the Omicron wave and post flood-relief. How irresponsible is that?” he asked.

The 29-year-old MP said it was hypocritical of Umno to show concern about Covid-19 cases and yet want state elections.

Other state elections could follow

Umno had said previously that the Malacca elections gave the party a second wind to make a comeback following its humiliating defeat in the 2018 general election.

Syed Saddiq said the opposition must now win in Johor or risk more state elections, naming Perak and Kedah in particular, where BN and PAS respectively, have narrow margins.

“This is our time to fight back and Muda will fight remarkably hard against Umno, which has grown exceptionally arrogant.

“If you lose Johor, we are not looking at the general election, we are first looking at Perak, Kedah, potentially Sabah again, and then only a general election,” he said.

State leaders have tried to quash talk of state elections in Perak, Kedah and Sabah.

Perak Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad said elections were not necessary because the government is strong, with the support of 36 assemblymen out of 59 in the state legislature.

Kedah BN election director and Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan said there is currently no need for the Kedah assembly to be dissolved to make way for yet more state elections.

In Sabah, which was the first state to hold an election during the Covid-19 pandemic in September 2020, Chief Minister Hajiji Mohd Noor from Bersatu denied that his relationship with his Umno deputy, Bung Moktar Radin, was strained.

He said he and Bung both agreed that the mandate given by Sabah voters in 2020 should be preserved for the rest of the assembly’s term. – February 9, 2022.