Johor Amanah obsessed with seats, not people – state Umno

Johor Umno has accused Amanah of being more interested in chasing seats than serving voters, following remarks by the party’s state deputy chairperson, Dzulkefly Ahmad, in rejecting negotiations with BN.

Johor Umno information chief Israk Abdullah said there was nothing stopping Dzulkefly or Johor Amanah from contesting in any seat they wished - even against BN - if they were confident of their strength in the state.

“If he truly believes in Amanah’s strength, then by all means, contest anywhere. Johor Umno is always ready,” said Israk in a statement today.

He claimed that Dzulkefly was the only Amanah leader making noise about seat allocations while the party’s central leadership had yet to issue any official statement on the matter.

“It seems this seat issue is more of his personal obsession rather than an official party position,” he said.

On Oct 15, Dzulkefly said Johor Amanah believes that negotiations on seat allocations between Pakatan Harapan and BN in Johor are irrelevant, as the federal-level unity government does not exist at the state level.

"Instead, Johor Amanah will proceed with preparations to contest in all state constituencies without waiting for any discussions or offers from Harapan or BN components," he said.

In the 2022 Johor state election, BN won 40 of the 56 seats, while Harapan secured 12, with DAP winning 10 and one each for PKR and Amanah.

‘No clear legacy’

Further, Israk questioned Dzulkefly’s record as a former Iskandar Puteri assemblyperson and exco for housing and local government, saying there was no clear legacy from his tenure.

“Since the beginning, Dzulkefly has only been demanding seats, not proving his service to the people,” he said, adding that Johor voters had rejected Dzulkefly in the last state election because they could “tell the difference between leaders who work and those who only talk”.

He contrasted Dzulkefly’s performance with BN representatives, including Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi, state housing and local government exco Jafni Shukor, and Kota Iskandar assemblyperson Pandak Ahmad, whom he said were actively serving their constituencies.

“While the state government is busy solving people’s problems, Dzulkefly is busy demanding seats. This shows a hunger for power and a lack of concern for Johoreans,” he said.

Israk further urged voters to judge Dzulkefly’s attitude for themselves.

“Is this the face of a leader who claims to bring reform, or just one obsessed with chasing positions? Johor needs leaders who work, not those who play politics 24/7,” he said.

‘Arrogant attitude’

Johor Umno Youth information chief Syes Mohamed echoed Israk's dismissal of Dzulkefly's statement.

"His (Dzulkefly) remarks clearly reveal an arrogant attitude, an obsession with seats, and a blindness to Johor’s current political realities," said Syes in a statement.

According to Syes, Dzulkefly’s defeat in the last Johor state election was not due to low voter turnout - as the Amanah leader claimed - but because voters had rejected a “non-performing representative”.

He added that while the Johor government and Umno were working hard to attract investments and implement pro-people policies, Dzulkefly was more interested in “dancing around seat allocations”.

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