The 14th general elections will be a "deciding point" for Barisan Nasional’s (BN) future, said Johor Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin who also warned that a defeat would put a stop to all ongoing development plans in the country.

Khaled, who is Johor BN chairperson, warned all Umno and component party members gathered at its convention in Johor Baru that GE14 would be the toughest election in the history of modern Malaysia.

“This is the election that would decide BN’s rise or fall.

“If we succeed in this fierce political battle, then Malaysia’s transformation agenda which we had started, will surely be continued,” he said in his opening speech.

“But if we are defeated, it would be the end of BN’s (agenda) for Malaysia.

“All of our agendas would be halted. All of our programmes and plans for Malaysia would be left on paper,” said Khaled who is also Umno Johor liaison chief.

He further reminded that if BN was to be defeated, it would take a long time for the federal coalition to reclaim its influence.

Khaled, as such, called upon all BN component party members in Johor to come together and honestly evaluate their plans to face the upcoming elections.

BN cannot remain idle

“We can no longer remain idle. We can no longer dream for an easy victory. In fact, a slim or close shave victory is entirely not an option,” he stressed.

While Johor has traditionally been known as a BN stronghold and the birthplace of Umno, Khaled cautioned that they can no longer be swayed by the nostalgia that BN will continue to rule, just because their rivals have no experience in governing.

“That kind of mindset must be changed. Believe me, we will be facing the ‘toughest war’. Not just a battle.

“(This will be) a clash between ‘a team that works’ and a ‘team that never governed’,” he said in reference to the Pakatan Harapan federal opposition comprising PKR, DAP, Amanah and Umno offshoot Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.

In Johor, the state opposition bench now comprises 19 assemblypersons.

During the 13th general elections, PAS was still in a coalition with PKR and DAP and won three seats under the Pakatan Rakyat banner.

Leading up to GE14, it would be the first time in history that Johor BN and Umno will be up against another Malay party, led by Muhyiddin Yassin who had served as both Johor menteri besar and Umno deputy president, and remains to be the current Pagoh MP.

Khaled, meanwhile, further described the war as being between a party which had proven to bring development and another party that never had any agenda or plans for Johor or Malaysia.

Beating the war drums 

“To all the gathered delegates, today we are beating the war drums. But we will face this war with intelligence and the best strategy.

“And we will win this election with the most systematic, clean and united approach,” he stressed.

In order to win the war, Khaled as such urged all BN component parties in Johor to unite and fight as a cohesive unit.

“Don’t stand on your own. We must stand together as BN, and we must offer to Johor and a Malaysia a bright future as a BN government,” he said, adding that this was unlike the Harapan opposition pact which has yet to even be formally registered as an official coalition.

In urging the component parties to resolve their internal differences, Khaled also reminded that it was no coincidence how BN had won the general elections for 13 consecutive terms.

“This is strong evidence that we have found the recipe for success,” he said.

Since Bersatu was founded in August last year, the party also helmed by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad as its chairperson had boasted that it has since penetrated into Umno's strongholds across the Malay belt, including in Johor which the opposition had targeted to capture.