Umno veteran Shahrir Abdul Samad is putting off his retirement plans from politics due to declining Malay support for Umno in Johor, claimed a Johor DAP leader today.

“Shahrir’s statement…shows that Umno is in panic mode over the rise of the Malay political tsunami.

“Shahrir had to make a U-turn and has to fight in the 14th General Election because of (Umno) 'shaking' over Malay support for change in Johor,” said Johor DAP assistant publicity secretary Sheikh Omar Ali.

Despite Shahrir’s plan to postpone his retirement, Sheikh Omar said Pakatan Harapan was unperturbed.

“This shows that Umno is worried over the rakyat’s rise in the southern state,” he added.

Sheikh Omar also claimed that Shahrir’s “closeness” to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak would make it easier for the voters to choose Harapan over the ruling coalition.

“They can choose between Harapan candidates who are working hard for change, or Johor Umno candidates who say they do not want to be associated with kleptocracy but continue to hail Najib,” he said.

Shahrir announced yesterday that he would defend his Johor Bahru parliamentary seat in the upcoming general election, and would face any “heavyweight” opposition candidate.

“Initially, I predicted the GE14 to be plain sailing.

"But then I hear these things about people coming to Johor, including (Shah Alam MP) Khalid Abdul Samad; so I thought, since everyone is interested in Johor, I too want to be in the game and face them in any situation,” he said.

Shahrir had previously stated that he would not be defending his seat in the upcoming general election.

Meanwhile, Johor PKR information chief Akmal Nasir claimed that Shahrir’s announcement only proved that Johor Umno does not have new leaders to offer.

“Or it could also be that Shahrir or Johor Umno itself has lost confidence in existing leaders.

“This means that Umno can only survive with whatever support they have left,” added Akmal.

Like Sheikh Omar, Akmal also cited Shahrir’s loyalty to Najib, and said that he believes that Shahrir’s “flip-flop” statement was made in accordance to the prime minister’s will.

“Whatever Shahrir’s decision is, Harapan Johor is confident in the maturity of the voters, and we will continue to raise the rakyat’s issues concerning the economy, cost of living, wages and job opportunities,” he said.