Nga was BN’s other ‘poster boy’ in Johor polls, says Kian Ming

 The former MP says controversial remarks made by the DAP deputy chairman galvanised support for BN as it stormed to a big win in Johor.

DAP deputy chairman Nga Kor Ming made several sensational statements during the Johor election campaign, including a pledge to resign as minister if former prime minister Najib Razak is freed from jail.

PETALING JAYA:

DAP deputy chairman Nga Kor Ming was essentially Barisan Nasional’s other “poster boy” in the Johor polls, with the federal minister’s controversial remarks galvanising BN support, former MP Ong Kian Ming claimed today.

Ong, also of DAP, said several statements made by Nga on the campaign trail in Johor had made him a lightning rod for many Malay voters.

Ong Kian Ming.

This included his vow to resign as housing and local government minister if former prime minister Najib Razak was freed of his jail term in the SRC International case.

“You could see that many of the things he said during and before the campaign had sparked a negative reaction,” said the former two-term MP.

“It basically made Malay voters say, ‘I’m going to come out and vote; I’m going to make sure BN wins and Pakatan Harapan doesn’t.’ And this affected a lot of the seats PKR and Amanah contested,” he said on BFM’s Breakfast Grille.

PKR central committee member Elizabeth Wong agreed, citing Nga’s pledge to replace all 123 new village chiefs in Johor with DAP appointees should PH form the Johor government.

Elizabeth Wong.

Wong, the former three-term Bukit Lanjan assemblyman, said this was a “problematic” statement that not only offended the Malays but even Johor Chinese living in these areas.

“We have to remember, all these new village and Chinese village chiefs are very close to the grassroots. So, can you imagine, their jobs are essentially at stake.

“So, I doubt they would give any votes to us.”

Nga had also drawn a stern rebuke from his Cabinet colleague, BN secretary-general Zambry Abd Kadir, after he labelled Zambry’s higher education ministry as being “slow like a turtle” over allowing holders of the Unified Examination Certificate to enter public universities.

BN stormed to a convincing victory in the Johor polls, winning 48 seats in the 56-member state assembly, with Johor menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi considered as the coalition’s poster boy.

PH won the remaining eight seats, four less than the 12 seats it won in 2022, while Perikatan Nasional was wiped out. - FMT