Every party a govt-in-waiting, says Johor Pejuang chief

 

Shahruddin Md Salleh said Pejuang would need 30 seats to form a state government in Johor. (Facebook pic)

SIMPANG RENGGAM: Johor Pejuang chief Shahruddin Md Salleh has denied claims that his party will cause a split in the opposition vote when it decided to work on its own in contesting the Johor state elections.

He said every party was considered to be a government-in-waiting after the Johor state assembly was dissolved.

“We’re all waiting for the people’s mandate. We don’t know if they’ll choose Pejuang, Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Harapan. It’s up to the people to choose which party they want to form the government,” he told FMT at his home in Simpang Renggam.

Shahruddin, who is contesting in Machap,  said no political party held any role, whether as opposition or the government, once the assembly was dissolved.

“So the question of (us) creating a divide and so on does not arise, because the people themselves will choose who they want to form the government,” he said.

‘We can be in power with 30 seats’

Shahruddin said Pejuang made the decision to contest solo because it wanted to establish a strong state government without the “interference” of other parties.

He said Pejuang would need a minimum of 30 seats to form a government, out of the 42 which the party is contesting.

“We feel that we can win in Johor and for that, what we want to do first is take down the (BN) government. “With 30 seats, we can form a state administration. We feel that Pejuang will be a strong government,” he said.

Shahruddin, a former deputy minister, said Pejuang would only accept other parties open to working together after it had formed the Johor government.

He said if Pejuang cooperated with other parties during the polls, there was always the concern that the government would not be strong and that the other parties would later withdraw their support.

“There will always be the threat of (withdrawal). The menteri besar wouldn’t be able to sleep well.

“After the state elections, anyone who is in line with us and wants to support us…we can form something together.

“Whatever it is, we welcome a merger (gabungan) between Pejuang and party A, B or C. We’re not greedy,” he said.

On Feb 26, Pejuang president Mukhriz Mahathir said he was ready to work with other parties after the Johor polls. He said doing so would be essential in the interest of unity.

He said cooperation with other parties was necessary, seeing that Pejuang’s membership comprised only Malays.

Allegations of Dr M’s influence

Shahruddin said that former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad still had political clout despite what other individuals had said.

He said claims that Mahathir was no longer influential was the opinion of those who did not like the Pejuang chairman.

“That’s merely their perception, and perceptions can change. We find that Mahathir always gets a good response whenever he meets the public. So this is only what some people say. Those who don’t like him will definitely say he isn’t as influential as before.

“As for those who support him, take a look at his blog, Chedet. Among the politicians, Mahathir’s blog gets the most number of likes,” he said.

Shahruddin admitted that Pejuang’s popularity was to some extent due to Mahathir, mainly due to his services to the country.

“If you mention Pejuang, people will think, ‘Oh, Mahathir, yes, we remember what he’s done’. Many remember Mahathir’s services. Everything he did turned out well,” he said.

Shahruddin said Pejuang’s future was bright due to their young candidates and party members.

“Our young candidates outnumber Muda’s. We have 10 young candidates, while Muda only has six.” - FMT