* Commentary by Mustafa K. Anuar.

THE people of Pulai and Simpang Jeram made their feelings felt in the recent by-elections in Johor. The absent voters also made their voices heard.

The turnout was low, which could have been attributed to bad weather, political fatigue and disillusionment.

Despite all that, Suhaizan Kaiat and Nazri Abdul Rahman have reasons to be elated after winning the Pulai parliamentary seat and the Simpang Jeram state constituency, respectively.

The combined forces of Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) managed to triumph over the so-called green wave of Perikatan Nasional.

Having said that, the winning duo and their coalition must also wake up to the fact that PN had grown stronger even though it lost the elections. The latter saw an increase of almost 9,000 votes in the recent contests.

In Pulai, PN candidate Zulkifli Jaafar of PAS polled 29,643 votes compared to the 20,677 its candidate, Loh Kah Yong of Gerakan, received last November.

Suhaizan Kaiat received 48,283 votes. In contrast, in November, the late Salahuddin Ayub won 64,900 votes.

Several factors could have given rise to such an outcome.

Prior to polling day, observers believed PN stood a chance of winning, especially after Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal in his well-publicised corruption case.

Some perceived the executive as having interfered in the affairs of the Attorney-General’s Chambers in connection with to Zahid’s case. In short, power abuse was suspected even though Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim denied any involvement.

This could have contributed to PN’s extra votes.

The newly formed alliance between PH and BN might also have turned off some of their supporters.

PN did try to make a meal out of the alliance, particularly the inclusion of the Chinese-based DAP. The coalition painted the Malays in the PH-BN pact as “impure” and traitors to the Malay cause.

DAP has always been depicted as an existential threat to the majority Malay community.

It was at the hustings that nonagenarian Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in lending support to PN, reminded the Malays in Johor that this country was exclusively theirs while the non-Malays were merely “pendatang” (immigrants).

He even called parties led by non-Malays “immigrant parties”, much to the chagrin of the authorities who had forbidden the exploitation of issues of race, religion and royalty on the campaign.

Such an assertion might have gained traction among a number of Johor Malays, although it presumably had alienated the non-Malays.

Why, there was even a call to the Johor people to not vote for PH-BN coalition as to do otherwise would be considered “haram” (forbidden), although the pronounced haram was subsequently said to have been made in jest.

That said, the winning coalition obviously cannot afford to sit on its laurels because it is facing a force that is bent on gaining a better foothold in the state where Umno was born in 1946.

This means the parties making up the unity government need to do some soul-searching to look into their strengths and weaknesses.

Promises made on the campaign trail must be kept. For instance, a new jetty in Kampung Sungai Tenom and Kampung Bakar Batu must be built for the Orang Asli communities. But more than that, new MP Suhaizan Kaiat must also look into the other pressing concerns of the tribes

PH-BN, particularly PH and Umno, at the state and federal levels must see to it that they jointly work towards reviving the economy.

At the same time, they need to address the welfare of the poor Malays but obviously not to the point of neglecting the other communities.

Reforms, which have been promised, must be executed for the benefit of all Malaysians.

Johor should strive to be an example of how a multiethnic society can achieve inclusivity, peace as well as progress.

Measures must be taken by the state government to encourage Johor people of diverse backgrounds to learn to co-exist peacefully in mutual understanding and respect. Bigotry and extremism must be curbed.

Neighbouring Singapore should serve as a good reminder to the Johor people to be prepared to face the challenges of a diverse and changing world and not be bogged down by a mindset akin to that of a frog under a coconut shell. 

There’s a lot of work to do after the celebratory party.  – September 11, 2023.