Incumbent Larkin assemblyperson Mohd Izhar Ahmad today announced his resignation from Bersatu, citing that he had lost confidence in party president Muhyiddin Yassin.
Speaking at a press conference in Johor Bahru, the former Johor exco member said he would not seek to defend his Larkin seat nor participate in any other seat in the upcoming state election.
Izhar also called for voters to give their support to BN for the sake of political stability in the state.
"The decision to quit Bersatu was made with a heavy heart, after the party that I have supported all these while lost its direction and failed to walk through the objectives of its establishment.
"In my opinion, Bersatu president Muhyiddin did not only fail to bring the party to a better position, but he also did not make any effort to heal the party after the split with (former prime minister) Dr Mahathir Mohamad's camp.
"This did not only stunt the party's development but also affected Bersatu's idealism and hence impacted the Malays and the interest of Islam. In other words, the main factor that caused me to leave Bersatu is because I have lost my confidence in Bersatu president Muhyiddin," he added.
Izhar is the second Bersatu leader in Johor to announce his resignation from the party.
On Thursday (Jan 27), Tebrau Bersatu division chief and Puteri Wangsa assemblyperson Mazlan Bujang also quit Bersatu and will be supporting Umno.
Izhar is a retired banker and won the Larkin state seat in the 14th general election on a Bersatu ticket. The party was still a part of the Pakatan Harapan coalition then.
Political stability
Izhar told the presser he believed that BN should be given the mandate this time around to ensure there will be political stability in Johor so that the state government's agenda to help the rakyat and improve its economy can be done without a hitch.
"I have also made a decision not to defend my Larkin state seat, I also would not contest any seat in this Johor election.
"I believe that for the sake of political stability and development of Johor, BN has to be given the mandate this time around so it can ensure efforts to bring the rakyat out of the Covid-19 pandemic and economic woes are carried out without a hitch.
"On this ground, I will also assist Umno to go back to its original landscape, to a better landscape and together fight for the agenda of the rakyat, the Malay Muslims, and all Johoreans," he said.
Right move
The politician also praised incumbent Johor menteri besar Hasni Mohammad for seeking the dissolution of the state legislative assembly, saying that it was the "right move".
According to Izhar, the state could not move forward with its ruling party hanging on a slim majority.
He also expressed his disappointment over the Sheraton Move political coup in 2020, which saw Bersatu taken out of Harapan and caused the fall of the then Harapan federal government and several state administrations including Johor.
"When there is no single party that has the autonomy to govern, all efforts would be stunted and in the end, there will be failure.
"We have seen what happened in the 14th general election, and alhamdulillah, we were given the mandate. But sadly, the mandate was put to waste. What is (Bersatu's) way forward now?
"That is why I was very upset when the mandate was disrupted. We were not even consulted. So I think this is the best decision I can make," Izhar said.
Asked by reporters if there are others to follow in his footsteps in leaving Bersatu, Izhar said he did not know.
He claimed that he had never discussed his plan to quit the party with anyone, including Mazlan.
"We did this on our own accord". - Mkini
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