“We are all Malaysians. This is the bond that unites us. Let us always remember that unity is our fundamental strength as a people and as a nation.”
– Tunku Abdul Rahman
IN politics, when two giants fight, it is the ordinary citizens who bear the brunt of the struggle and ultimately endure the greatest misery and suffering.
My key concern in the Johor election is the resurrection of old bad blood between the two feuding coalitions, a development that will benefit no one.
Indeed, the increasingly bitter exchanges between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Johor should not come as a surprise.
Beneath the surface of the Unity Government has always existed a relationship built more on political necessity than genuine trust.
The latest developments in Johor merely expose what many Malaysians have suspected all along – old wounds never really healed.
Much attention has been directed at Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, after he openly declared that BN would contest the coming state election on its own.
He went further by saying that if BN won enough seats, it would form the state government without relying on coalition partners.
More significantly, he ruled out any cooperation with the DAP despite both parties being partners in the federal Unity Government.
At first glance, it is tempting to conclude that Onn Hafiz alone is responsible for reigniting the rivalry between BN and PH.
After all, he was the one who publicly announced BN’s intention to go solo and drew a firm line against future cooperation with PH in Johor.
Politics, however, is rarely that simple.
Every political quarrel takes two sides. It is therefore equally important to ask what prompted Onn Hafiz to adopt such a confrontational position.
Political leaders do not usually take such drastic steps without believing there is something to gain or something they have lost confidence in.
Perhaps only Onn Hafiz knows the full reasons behind his decision, but his recent remarks offer some clues.
He questioned, in a recent Free Malaysia Today report, why several major federal promises to Johor remain unfulfilled despite having been announced years ago.
Among the projects he highlighted were the Elevated Autonomous Rapid Transit system, Hospital Sultanah Aminah 2, Hospital Pasir Gudang and the continuing shortage of doctors, nurses and healthcare staff.
His argument was straightforward. Before PH presents another election manifesto, it should first explain what has happened to the promises already made.
Whether one agrees with his criticism or not, these are legitimate questions that deserve answers. Governments should ultimately be judged by implementation rather than announcements.
Grand promises are easily made during election campaigns. Delivering them is a far more difficult test of leadership.
The dispute also reflects the complicated history between BN and PH.
Many of today’s senior PKR leaders were once prominent members of UMNO before joining the opposition.
In 2018, PH achieved what many thought was impossible by ending BN’s uninterrupted rule of the federal government after more than six decades.
That historic victory left deep scars within Umno.
Barely two years later came the Sheraton Move, which saw the collapse of the democratically elected PH government after defections involving several PH leaders and cooperation from Umno and other parties.
The episode further poisoned relations between both coalitions.
Following the 2022 general election, political reality forced BN and PH into an uneasy partnership under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Unity Government.
It was a marriage of convenience designed primarily to produce a parliamentary majority rather than one founded on shared ideology or long-term political compatibility.
Three years later, the cracks are becoming increasingly visible.
Johor may simply be the first major battleground where those underlying tensions have surfaced openly.
This does not necessarily mean the Unity Government will collapse tomorrow. Coalition politics often requires parties to compete fiercely at state level while cooperating federally.
Nevertheless, such arrangements become increasingly difficult to sustain when leaders openly question one another’s credibility and campaign against former allies with the same intensity once reserved for political opponents.
Unfortunately, the biggest casualty of this rivalry may not be either coalition, but the voters themselves.
Instead of discussing practical solutions to rising living costs, healthcare, education, job opportunities and economic competitiveness, political attention risks being diverted towards scoring points against one another.
Johor deserves better than a contest driven by personal grievances or historical bitterness.
Voters will ultimately judge all parties not by whom they attack, but by who can govern competently and fulfil promises made.
The July 11 state election is also notable for another reason. With twelve parties contesting all 56 seats, the political landscape has become increasingly fragmented.
Multi-cornered contests have become the new norm in Malaysian politics, making electoral outcomes far less predictable than in previous decades.
Fragmentation may provide voters with more choices, but it also raises the possibility of divided mandates and more unstable governments.
Political parties should therefore be exercising greater maturity, not deepening old hostilities that have already consumed far too much of Malaysia’s political energy over the past decade.
The BN-PH rivalry in Johor may energise party supporters during the campaign, but beyond the rallies and political slogans, ordinary Malaysians expect something far more important – competent governance and promises that are honoured.
Resurrecting old bad blood may win headlines. It is far less certain that it will win public confidence.
In the end, endless political feuding benefits no one, least of all the people both coalitions claim they are fighting to serve.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. He can be reached at sirsiah@gmail.com.
