The biggest joke in the Johor election is, “Vote blue, but get green.”
In other words, vote for BN but get PAS. It's like a two-in-one shampoo and conditioner combo.
A hilarious meme going round shows a voter peeling off the BN logo on a mock-up ballot paper, only to find the PAS symbol underneath!
Yet in 2024, PAS condemned Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for being corrupt due to his infamous 47 criminal charges. It was not the old Semangat 46, but Semangat 47.
Just two months ago, Zahid said PAS had traitors within, and that blocked cooperation with Umno.
So why are BN and PAS now in a loving embrace? It's as if there was a secret “political khalwat (close proximity)” between the parties, which has now become pregnant with meaning for all to see.
PAS pretended to be “holy” and honest to fight bribery, but now passionately embraces what it had slammed as a tainted party. What a joke.
Vote BN to free Najib
Not only do we get PAS by voting BN. Another bonus is that it may lead to Najib Abdul Razak being freed!
His son Nazifuddin said that a major BN win in Johor will send a “strong signal” that the people “still cherish” his father and want to see the former premier receive a royal pardon.
This “upgrades” BN to a three-in-one product of shampoo and conditioner plus moisturiser.
The extra ooomph is an indirect endorsement by PAS of the felon Najib.
Both of them did another backroom deal before the 2018 election. At that time, PAS fielded candidates in so many unwinnable seats, hoping to suck away Malay votes from Pakatan Harapan.
For this “favour”, PAS allegedly received RM90 million from Umno.
But the move backfired spectacularly, and led to the splitting of Malay votes and the toppling of both Umno and Najib.
This time in Johor, both PAS and Umno hope to consolidate the Malay vote behind BN. But will voters approve of this twisted charade?
Damaged brand
Don't forget that in the 2022 general election, PAS and Bersatu (Perikatan Nasional) rode a “Green Wave” to big gains with their slogan “Prihatin, Bersih, Stabil” or "Caring, Clean, Stable".
PN was touted as the cleaner, more religious option than Umno, which carried the baggage of mega scandals of 1MDB, Felda and missing combat ships.
But with PAS’ latest embrace of Umno, will that damage the Green Wave brand?
Wasn't it bad enough with Bersatu (the Malay word for united) now becoming berpecah (broken) after the expulsion of its former deputy Hamzah Zainudin?
Will Malay voters wake up to the double talk of PAS, which changes its stand as the political winds blow?
PAS went from supporting DAP in 2013, to then getting “married” to Umno via Muafakat Nasional in 2019. Then they broke up over PAS’ so-called “infidelity” with “third party” Bersatu.
This love-hate relationship now sees them hugging each other again, casting aside the jilted lover of Muhyiddin Yassin’s party.
I can almost imagine PAS singing the song “Peaches and Herbs”:
I was a fool to ever leave your side,
Me minus you is such a lonely ride,
Reunited, and it feels so good,
Reunited 'cause we understood,
There's one perfect fit,
And, sugar, this one is it.
Wounded Harapan
As for Harapan, political scientist Ong Kian Ming has predicted they will suffer a crushing defeat in Johor.
Harapan leader Anwar Ibrahim bent over backwards for over three years to please Umno and broke promises of reform.
Supporters became angry, weakening Harapan. Then a well-fed reptile saw the chance to turn around and bite Anwar in Johor.
As the Malays say, “padan muka” or "serves you right".
Bersama underdogs
This gives space for Parti Bersama Malaysia to capture “disillusioned voters”.
Not only from those exasperated with Harapan's failures, but also from those disenchanted with the cynical games of both PAS and Umno.
Bersama has succeeded in fielding 15 candidates in Johor, barely a month after being taken over by two former PKR leaders.
The candidates were not chosen for political bootlicking, but based on merit as self-made professionals, businesspeople who want real change.
The team is running on a shoestring budget, using unpaid volunteers and a rented truck as a mobile campaign platform.
This is because they refuse to take “political donations” from tycoons, which will come with demands for favours later.
“How are big campaign events of other parties being funded?” asked Bersama leader Rafizi Ramli in a ceramah.
In contrast, the party will reveal how it gets its funding and how it's spent, starting with the Johor election.
Rotan naughty kids
But why vote for Bersama when it only has modest aims to be a vocal opposition in Johor?
Because even if Harapan wins big in Johor, its power is limited as the palace has the final say.
As former Umno leader Puad Zarkashi claimed, “Johor Umno is controlled by the palace in making decisions.”
Indeed, even though Umno won a landslide victory of 40 of 56 seats in the last state election, the party's choice of menteri besar was blocked by the palace.
A Harapan win will only give sinking Anwar another breath of air, and lull him into thinking “all is fine, don't change things.”
It's better to choose Bersama as a risk-free “protest vote” to wake up Harapan.
Forget about the Islamic state fearmongering, as the palace is moderate and PAS is only contesting 11 seats anyway.
A strong protest vote against Harapan is like giving a firm whack of the rotan on a naughty boy's backside to make him change for the better.
Don't worry, Harapan will still be there. But I hope that after a rude “wake-up call” in Johor, the coalition will do real radical reforms in its last year of power.
Then voters can decide if a new and improved “Harapan Baru” is still worth supporting. - Mkini
ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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