JOHOR BAHRU — DAP is not seeking a unity government in Johor and urges its Pakatan Harapan (PH) allies to stop asking for one, party secretary-general Anthony Loke said.
DAP will continue playing a balancing role in the state and has accepted the Johor state government led by Umno, he added.
“DAP’s stand (is that) we never suggested a unity government in Johor as we accepted the fact that the Johor state government was set up before the federal government.
“We don’t want to disrupt the running of the government and I don’t want to complicate the situation. DAP has never sought seats or positions in the state government,” Loke was reported saying by Bernama after officiating the Johor DAP convention here today.
“In Johor, DAP has 10 assemblymen who play their roles as balancers supporting the state government led by (Umno-Barisan Nasional’s) Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
“They all have allocations and are invited to join the district development action councils. So there’s no polemics, instead we should focus on developing Johor as there are many projects here. Indirectly, we will develop the country,” Loke said.
Calls for a unity government in Johor were made by Amanah before and after the recent Mahkota by-election, which the Umno-BN candidate won by a landslide majority amid low voter turnout.
After the by-election, Amanah Youth chief Hasbie Muda said the big win by the federal unity government’s representative showed that voters had rejected the opposition, Perikatan Nasional. As such, he said a unity government should be formed in the state to be aligned with Putrajaya.
Amanah holds only one seat in the Johor legislative assembly. PKR also has one, while DAP has 10 and Umno holds hte majority with 40 seats. – October 6, 2024