KUALA LUMPUR – Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi today reaffirmed that DAP would not be part of any future Barisan Nasional (BN) state government in Johor, insisting that political realities in the state are fundamentally different from those at federal level.
The Johor BN chairman said the coalition would continue to govern independently as long as it received the mandate from Johor voters.
“DAP has never been and will never be part of a Johor BN government,” he said on Facebook.
“This is not about arrogance, nor is it about race. It is about principles, mandate and our responsibility to Bangsa Johor.”
Onn Hafiz said he was duty-bound to respect the wishes of BN grassroots members in Johor, many of whom he said wanted the coalition to contest the next state election on its own.
He also sought to distinguish Johor’s political landscape from the situation at the federal level, where BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) formed a unity government following the 15th General Election after no coalition secured a parliamentary majority.
“At the federal level, BN cooperates with PH following GE15 based on the decree of the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, when no coalition commanded sufficient support to form a government.
“That situation is not the same in Johor,” he said.
His latest remarks come a day after he declared that he would rather step down as Menteri Besar than have DAP in the Johor state government. This drew a veiled rebuke from DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke, who described the Onn’s statement as arrogant. Loke also pointed out that Umno president and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi regularly sat beside him (Loke) in Cabinet meetings.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim appeared to address the issue without naming names or any party.
Anwar said it would be “arrogant” to deny an elected representative of any race or political party a role in government if they secured voters’ mandate.
Without directly responding to Anwar’s statement, Onn Hafiz maintained that Johor’s political direction should be assessed independently of developments in Putrajaya.
“In Johor, we have our own way,” he said. – June 8, 2026