COMMENT | Johoreans head to the polls in three days in a state election that will decide the composition of the state government.

While there will be national spillovers from the results, the primary impact will be what sort of mandate the state leadership will receive.

During the campaign, the incumbent leadership of the state by Umno/BN, and in particular its caretaker menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi, has faced a barrage of attacks, many of these highly personalised.

Personal attacks have long been part of Malaysia’s campaign culture. That the attacks have escalated to senior leaders speaks to the intensity of the election.

Inevitably, these attacks have provoked strong reactions along partisan lines and among Johoreans broadly, many of whom see the attack on Onn Hafiz as an attack on one of their own.

Others enjoy watching the fight without...