UMNO vice president Mohamed Khaled Nordin is confident that the ‘green wave’ that occurred during the six state elections recently will not happen during the by-elections in Johor this September.

He said this was because the opposition’s narrative during the state elections that the unity government would fall if the opposition was voted into power was proven to be untrue.

“That (fall of the federal government) is not possible, and that factor (narrative) cannot be used for the by-elections,” he told reporters after chairing a special meeting between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) at the Johor Umno Building in Johor Baru today.

Khaled, who is also the Higher Education minister said no matter the outcome of the by-elections, the federal government would remain in a comfortable position.

“Therefore, it is important for any party that contests to be able to work with the federal government as well as the state government so that the people are not left behind,” said Khaled who is also the Johor Umno Liaison Body chairman and Johor BN chairman.

Asked to comment on Amanah’s chances of defending the Pulai parliamentary seat and the Simpang Jeram state seat, Khaled said he was confident that the two seats would remain in the hands of the party, with solid cooperation between PH and BN.

Earlier, the special closed-door meeting which lasted for over an hour was also attended by Johor PH deputy chairman Aminolhuda Hassan, Johor Amanah deputy chairman Dzulkefly Ahmad and Johor Umno Liaison Body secretary Abdul Halim Suleiman.

The Election Commission has set August 26 as nomination day for the two by-elections, followed by early voting on September 5 and polling day on September 9.

The Pulai parliamentary seat and Simpang Jeram state seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent, Salahuddin Ayub, on July 23. – Bernama, August 18, 2023.