DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang hopes the federal opposition can turn Johor into a frontline state like it did with Penang.

He said if this could be achieved, then capturing Putrajaya would also be within grasp.

"If Johor succeeds as a frontline state in the next general election, matching Penang as a successful frontline state, and backed by the spine of support from Kedah, Perak, Selangor and Negri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia, the stage would be set for a national change of government in Putrajaya.

"Pakatan Harapan has twin objectives to make Johor a frontline state in the 14th general election - to spearhead political change in the GE14 and save Malaysia from a failed and broken state," he said in a statement today.

Lim said despite scepticism towards the opposition with some believing that Harapan will likely lose ground, he is optimistic that they can do better.

"Although there are pessimists who think that in the next general election, it is not possible to improve on opposition showing in 2013, I remain optimistic that it is not only possible to improve on the electoral results in the last general election, both parliamentary and state assembly, the possibility of Pakatan Harapan replacing the BN as the Johor government cannot be ruled out," he said.

Lim said until five years ago, Johor was considered impenetrable for the opposition for close to half a century.

"But a sea of change took place in Johor in the 13th general election," he said, pointing out that BN came one seat short of losing its two-thirds majority in the state.

In the last general election, Harapan captured 19 seats in the 56-member Johor state assembly.

This was an increase of 12 seats compared to the 12th general election.

In Penang, the state opposition swept into power in 2008 when it captured 29 out of 40 seats.

It improved its performance in 2013, gaining 30 out of 40 seats.

Prior to 2008, BN controlled 38 out of the 40 seats.