No unity govt if not for BN bloc, Zahid reminds rivals

 Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says without BN's 30 MPs, Pakatan Harapan wouldn't have had the parliamentary majority to lead the current coalition government.

BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Johor polls would mark BN’s revival and the return of “the blue wave”.

PETALING JAYA:

Barisan Nasional chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has reminded political rivals that the unity coalition government could not have been formed without the coalition’s 30 MPs.

Speaking at the launch of BN’s Johor election machinery in Iskandar Puteri, Zahid said BN’s contribution to national stability could not be dismissed.

Zahid, who is also the Umno president, said that without BN’s 30 parliamentary seats, Pakatan Harapan wouldn’t have had the parliamentary majority to lead the current government.

He also welcomed BN’s rivals to contest in all 56 seats at the Johor polls.

Johor PH had previously said they would contest all seats in the state election after Johor BN declared they would do so. PH also said they will contest in all 36 seats at the impending Negeri Sembilan polls.

“We will meet you there,” he said.

Zahid said the Johor election was the start of BN’s revival. The coalition wanted to prove that it was still a force to be reckoned with, he said. “We intend to send a clear message to the entire country that the BN ‘blue wave’ is returning and it will start in Johor before it reaches the other parts of the country.”

Zahid also defended Johor menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi’s decision to call for elections before the state assembly’s term ended, saying the mandate should be returned to the people.

“If Onn Hafiz merely wanted to remain comfortable, why go through the trouble of dissolving the assembly? He could have just continued holding on to power.”

The Johor state assembly was dissolved on June 1, 10 months before Its term would expire in April next year.

Zahid said that BN was entering the polls with a track record and achievements under its belt and not “empty promises.”

He also advised members against squabbling over candidates and to focus on winning the polls. “There is only one candidate for us – the BN candidate,” he said.

BN formed the Johor state government after winning 40 seats in the 56-member state assembly in March 2022. PH won 12, Perikatan Nasional (3) and Muda (1). - FMT