Mahfuz questions Umno Johor’s stance on DAP amid Federal partnership

ALOR SETAR – Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) has questioned Umno Johor's refusal to work with DAP despite both parties being part of the unity government at the federal level.

Its vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar said Johor Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi's reported readiness to give up his position rather than sit at the same table with DAP reflected an outdated political mindset shaped by sentiment and fear.

Mahfuz said the public is becoming increasingly confused by what appeared to be Umno leaders adopting different approaches in Putrajaya and Johor.

“If it is truly so unacceptable to sit at the same table with DAP in Johor, why do Umno leaders continue to sit alongside DAP leaders in the Federal Cabinet every week?

“Isn’t Umno president and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in a government that also includes DAP? Isn’t the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim made up of Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional?” he said in a statement on Monday.

Mahfuz said the situation reflected a contradiction that was difficult for the public to understand.

According to him, the Federal Government in Putrajaya spoke about stability and unity while leaders in Johor promoted a narrative of hostility and fear.

“Politics with two different faces is not a sign of strength but instead reflects an internal crisis that Umno has yet to resolve,” he said.

Mahfuz also claimed such statements reflected internal pressure on the party’s leadership to return to old-style politics based on narrow sentiments in an effort to regain Malay support.

However, he said the public, particularly younger voters, are now more concerned about employment opportunities, affordable housing, education, investment and the cost of living than political polemics.

“Young people no longer want politics that constantly looks for enemies. They want answers to the challenges they are facing in their daily lives.

“Johor has enormous potential to become a hub for technology, artificial intelligence (AI), logistics, the digital economy and international investment. However, the state will not move forward if its politics remains trapped in old propaganda,” he added.

He also described the dissolution of the Johor State Legislative Assembly amid global economic uncertainty and geopolitical pressures as disappointing.

According to Mahfuz, while the Madani government was working to strengthen the national economy and safeguard the welfare of the people, Johor was once again being drawn into political competition.

Mahfuz said Amanah and PH championed a more mature, measured and forward-looking political approach compared with politics driven by hatred.

“This Johor state election is not simply about who can shout the loudest on the political stage.

“It is a contest between future politics and old politics that continues to survive on sentiment and fear,” he said.

On Sunday, media reports stated that Onn Hafiz rejected cooperation with DAP and was prepared to step down as Menteri Besar if such an arrangement materialised after the Johor state election.

He said Johor’s political landscape differed from the situation at the Federal level because cooperation between BN, particularly Umno, and DAP had never existed in the state.