MCA chief Dr Chua Soi Lek has slammed PAS’s claims that Pakatan Rakyat has a greater chance of winning Johor in the 13th general elections as “spinning and blowing hot air”.

“They must be dreaming,” Chua is reported as telling journalists after attending a function in Segamat, and that PAS was merely citing a piece of research.

NONE English daily The Star says Chua dismissed the PAS Research Centre’s (PPP) finding that PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub was the most favoured candidate for menteri besar compared with the current MB, Umno's Abdul Ghani Othman ( right ), in the state that is considered a BN “fortress” as a “bluff”.

He was responding to the centre’s analysis on the shift of voters in the Umno stronghold and the person most favoured to be the next menteri besar of the southern state prior to the 13th general election.

According to The Star , Chua said comparing Ghani and Salahuddin, Ghani was well known to the people of Johor and that the local people do not even know Salahuddin.

He added that the current development of Iskandar Malaysia and the oil and gas project in Pengerang would be affected should Pakatan take over Johor.

BN currently controls 25 parliamentary seats in Johor, while the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat has only one seat- the Bakri seat held by DAP.

The centre’s analysis further states that of the 56 state seats in Johor, only 26 are considered “white seats” for BN, with the rest are labelled “grey”.

At present, Pakatan holds six state assembly seats in Johor, with DAP holding four and PAS, two.