MCA believes Barisan Nasional’s (BN) tried and tested formula of stability and economics will help the party restore some pride in the upcoming Johor elections.

And if things go as planned, Johor MCA secretary Ng Keng Heng told The Malaysian Insight that the party could win as many as six seats.

Among the seats MCA targets to win back are Yong Peng and Pekan Nanas.

Yong Peng comes under the Ayer Hitam parliamentary constituency, which party president Dr Wee Ka Siong won in the 2018 general election while Pekan Nanas is under the Tanjung Piai parliamentary constituency.

Although MCA lost the Tanjung Piai seat in 2018, it recovered the seat a year later during the by-election, with Pekan Nanas voters playing a huge role in the win.

In the 2018 polls, MCA had lost all the 15 state seats it contested. It was its worst performance since 2008 and the 2013 elections when it won 12 and two state seats respectively.

“The Covid-19 lockdowns have been difficult for the southern region, especially Johor,” said Ng during an interview at the party’s new office on Jalan Kebun Teh.

Ng, who is a car accessories supplier, said small companies around Johor Baru in particular have lost a lot of business, as there were no more Singaporean tourists over the weekends.

And BN and MCA, said Ng, are ready to help Johor recover from the economic losses brought about by the epidemic.

Over the years, Singaporeans constituted more than 35% of tourists arrivals in Malaysia. In 2019, 10.16 million out of 26.1 million arrivals were from the island republic.

But due to the lockdowns and the closing of international borders, the number dropped by more than 80% to just 1.55 million in 2020.

Despite the weekends, malls located around Coronation Square in downtown Johor Baru near the Causeway, such as Komtar JBCC, JB City Square and others, were almost empty in the absence of Singaporean tourists.

“A stable state government will help reboot the Johor economy by providing better business opportunities,” said Ng.

The “stable government” slogan by BN was also used in the Malacca elections and helped the coalition win 21 out of the 28 seats in the state assembly late last year.

Najib no longer a factor

A major contributing factor to BN’s defeat in Putrajaya and Johor in GE14 was the then prime minister Najib Razak and the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.

So can MCA make a comeback in Johor?

Ng believes it can, as voters are no longer angry with Najib and the 1MDB scandal.

“He has been coming to Johor lately and wherever he goes there are crowds of people who approach him.

“I believe most voters are no longer as angry as they were in 2018,” said the Kota Tinggi division chief.

He said MCA has no issues with Najib and was ready to welcome all, including Najib.

Ng said another reason for MCA’s confidence in the state comes from the leadership change in the all-Chinese party.

“Wee became president in 2018 and since then there have been many changes.”

With the transport minister as the state chief, Ng said they have begun to move faster.

“Compared with previously, there is more urgency in Johor MCA now. We are resolving issues at a much quicker pace and have built a better network,” said the 55-year-old. – February 16, 2022.