On Monday, Onn Hafiz responded to Loke in a Facebook post, reiterating his stance that DAP “has never been and will never be” part of a Johor BN government.
“This is not about arrogance. This is also not about race. This is about principles, mandate and responsibility to Bangsa Johor,” he said.
Anwar also chimed in on the issue on Monday, cautioning against excluding any race or party from being in government after they have gained political support through a democratic process.
At BN’s election machinery launch on Sunday, Onn Hafiz also took a jab at opposition Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) – which anchors the PN coalition alongside Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) – poking at its past relationship with DAP.
DAP and Bersatu were formerly allies under PH, whose 2018 election victory was later fractured by defections that triggered the coalition’s collapse in the political realignment known as the Sheraton Move.
“We should remind Bersatu that DAP was with them in the state government,” he said, urging voters not to be swayed by claims linking Johor BN with DAP and slammed allegations that a vote for BN was equivalent to a vote for DAP.
“A HEADACHE FOR US”: ANWAR
Meanwhile, Anwar, who is PH’s chairman, had warned component parties on Saturday against clashing with BN as the coalitions were still partners in the federal government, adding that its decision to compete “created a headache for us”.
While we clash with Umno and BN today, we will be sitting next to each other at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday,” he said when launching the Johor PH election machinery in Batu Pahat.
Anwar stressed that rivalling BN was not his choice and he would have preferred to work with his government partners to contest the state polls, while deferring elections to focus on reviving the economy.
“It was their (BN) choice to call for an election. It was their (BN) choice to create political instability,” he was quoted as saying by local news outlet Free Malaysia Today (FMT).
Anwar added that it was crucial for Johor to “be on the same page”, with the state standing to benefit more from a closer coalition relationship, citing benefits from mega projects allocated to the state including the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone and Maharani Freeport.
“We work as a team and I believe we can change Johor. Under PH, the rakyat (people) stand to benefit far more,” he was quoted as saying by FMT.