KUALA LUMPUR – Pakatan Harapan (PH) has declared it will contest all 56 Johor state assembly seats in the upcoming election, aiming to bury Umno in the state for a second time, said state PH chairman Aminolhuda Hassan.
The announcement comes after Barisan Nasional (BN) confirmed on Saturday that it will go it alone in the polls.
“Since BN Johor has made its declaration, PH must respond,” Aminolhuda said. “We will not step aside after BN has opened the path, nor do we wish to be seen as weak or sidelined.”
He highlighted that PH’s victory over BN in the 2018 state election proves a repeat is possible.
“We also refuse to be mere passengers in a large ship in Johor. Umno was born in this state; once we buried them, and this election, we aim to bury them for a second time.
“In Johor, there is a big ship, but PH is in a small boat. We have been placed in a boat that is supposedly part of the government, and when the rope is cut, we drift. But we will continue our struggle and the aspirations of the Johor people to govern better, especially with the federal government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who has organised various developments in Johor,” he said during the PH convention in Johor today.
BN Johor chairman and Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz announced on Saturday that BN would contest all 56 seats independently, citing the views and expectations of Johor voters as well as feedback from Umno-BN grassroots leaders.
Aminolhuda also criticised the absence of electoral redelineation in Johor, pointing out that seven constituencies have more than 100,000 voters, including 131,000 in Kota Iskandar.
“If redelineation were implemented, three additional seats could be created in these areas, but as most voters are PH supporters, BN fears defeat,” he said.
“Why approve appointed assemblymen instead of redelineating? Because they are afraid. They know these seven urban seats are strongholds for PH. They worry about losing, which is why redelineation has been avoided,” he added. – May 17, 2026