The 2022 Johor state election, formally the 15th Johor general election, took place on 12 March 2022.[1][2] The election was to elect 56 members of the 15th Johor State Legislative Assembly. The previous assembly was dissolved on 22 January 2022.[3]
The state election is the fourth election after the 2018 general election, resulting in the most non-simultaneous elections between federal and state elections in a single 5-year term of parliament in the nation's history. The state election is also the third election after Ismail Sabri Yaakob took over as Prime Minister in August 2021. The state election would also be the first in which 18-20 year olds are eligible to vote after the gazettement of the constitutional amendment on 15 December 2021.[5]
Johor became the fourth state in Malaysia to not hold its state elections simultaneously with national elections, after Sarawak (since 1979), Sabah (since 2020), and Malacca (since 2021).
Kelantan (1978–1982) held its state election in March 1978 following a political crisis the previous year, but national elections were held only 4 months later. Since then election cycles in Kelantan have synchronized with national elections.
Electoral system
Elections in Malaysia are conducted at the federal and state levels. Federal elections elect members of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of Parliament, while state elections in each of the 13 states elect members of their respective state legislative assembly. As Malaysia follows the Westminster system of government, the head of government (Prime Minister at the federal level and the Menteri Besar/Chief Ministers at the state level) is the person who commands the confidence of the majority of members in the respective legislature – this is normally the leader of the party or coalition with the majority of seats in the legislature.
The Legislative Assembly consists of 56 members, known as Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), that are elected for five-year terms. Each MLA is elected from a single-member constituencies using the first-past-the-post voting system; each constituency contains approximately an equal number of voters. If one party obtains a majority of seats, then that party is entitled to form the government, with its leader becoming the Chief Minister. In the event of a hung parliament, where no single party obtains the majority of seats, the government may still form through a coalition or a confidence and supply agreement with other parties. In practice, coalitions and alliances in Malaysia, and by extension, in Johor, generally persist between elections, and member parties do not normally contest for the same seats.
Events from the Dissolution of the Johor State Legislative Assembly to the Issue of the Writ of Election (22 January to 9 February 2022)
Dates
Events
22 January 2022
Menteri Besar of Johor Hasni Mohammad was given a mandate by the supreme council and Johor state liaison committee of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) to seek an audience with Sultan of JohorIbrahim Ismail and advise for his consent to dissolve the 14th Johor State Legislative Assembly to pave way for the 2022 Johor state election. Sultan Ibrahim consented to the advice and the assembly was officially dissolved. Hasni held a press conference after the audience and explained that his advice was due to serious political instability provided that his government has lost the simple majority in the assembly to govern the state and he wanted to seek a "fresh mandate" to form a strong state government to oversee Johor through a more rapid development.[1][16]
Heritage Party (WARISAN) claimed that it will "assess the situation on the ground" before deciding to contest in the election or not.[19]
Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) expressed its intention to contest 4 state seats in the election it considers as its traditional seats within BN coalition.[20]
23 January 2022
Speaker of the assembly Suhaizan Kayat has officially informed the Election Commission (EC) about the dissolution of the assembly for EC to determine the dates of the nomination, early polling and polling days after receiving the dissolution documents signed by Sultan Ibrahim.[21]
Johor Pakatan Harapan (PH) issued a statement to reiterate its firm stance to oppose the dissolution of the assembly and the holding of the election on the reason that the people of Johor are still facing the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and 2021–2022 Malaysian floods and it would be "a waste of the peoples money".[22]
Homeland Fighters' Party (PEJUANG) expressed its intention to contest 42 out of 56 state seats in the election without cooperating with other parties.[23]
Barisan Nasional (BN) expressed its confidence of gaining supermajority, claiming it will contest alone in all 56 seats.[24]
Election Commission of Malaysia stated that it will convene a special meeting to discuss important election dates on 9 February.[26]
United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) expressed its intention to contest 42 out of 56 state seats in the election, pending negotiations with other parties within the Barisan Nasional coalition.[27][28]
Pakatan Harapan (PH) president Anwar Ibrahim stated that the coalition party is opening talks for cooperation with all opposition parties, including Pejuang, MUDA and Warisan.[29]
Perikatan Nasional (PN) declared its readiness to contest all 56 seats, claiming that while it participated in previous Johor government it was not consulted before on the dissolution of the assembly by the Menteri Besar.[31]
26 January 2022
Heritage Party (WARISAN) claimed that if it contests the election, it will contest on its own, but honours the agreement made with MUDA.[32]
A meeting held by the Pakatan Harapan's Presidential Council finalised the usage of PKR's logo for PKR candidates and PH logo for DAP and AMANAH candidates.[33] On separate statement, PH leader Anwar Ibrahim rejected cooperation with Perikatan Nasional as suggested by an individual from BERSATU.[34]
27 January 2022
Pakatan Harapan announced their internal seat allocation, with PKR and AMANAH contesting 20 seats and the rest given to DAP. PKR will be contesting using its own logo. PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim planned to give DAP and AMANAH leadership power to grant approval for other parties to contest under PH logo, in line with the two parties' wish to cooperate with other opposition parties.[35][36]
Mazlan Bujang, a former BERSATU assemblyman before the dissolution, left BERSATU and threw support to incumbent Menteri Besar Hasni Mohammad from BN.[37]
28 January 2022
Simpang Renggam MP, Maszlee Malik, announced the intention to use PKR's logo for all PH candidates in his constituency, regardless of party affiliation.[38]
A joint statement by PAS and BERSATU styled as Muzakarah (discussion) confirms they're working together under Perikatan Nasional on the basis of ummah unity.[39]
Mohd Izhar Ahmad, former BERSATU assemblyman for Larkin before the dissolution, left BERSATU and threw support to BN, citing the need for political stability and progress.[41]
30 January 2022
Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party (MMSP) has repeated its support as 'Friends of BN' and is hopeful to contest under the BN coalition.
Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) denied the authenticity of a viral letter listing "MCA seats" in the election and claimed that consensus of its Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties will be achieved by holding discussions.[45] BN also stated it will lean on experience from previous elections to manage its campaign under COVID-19 safety guidelines and aims to win 12 out of 16 seats in northern region of Johor after winning only two in the 2018 state election. BN Deputy Chairman Mohamad Hasan also appealed to the coalition members to stand united, avoid past mistakes that could jeopardise chances of victory in the election.
Johor Fire and Rescue Department stated it would be meeting with the Election Commission (EC) to discuss the standard operating procedures (SOPs) on fire and COVID-19 safety guidelines of the election.[46]
Pakatan Harapan (PH) announced the incumbent DAPTangkak assemblyman Ee Chin Li will be defending his seat and PKR will be using the same strategy of unveiling its candidates one-by-one as DAP in order to "give them more time to prepare for the election".[47]
Heritage Party (WARISAN) Vice-President Junz Wong revealed that WARISAN President Shafie Apdal would announce decision to contest in the election in the next few days after receiving his reports on the situation of the ground to kick off preparations such as seat negotiations and so on. He also dismissed the claim that PH had approached WARISAN for cooperation.[48]
Minister of HealthKhairy Jamaluddin clarified the stance of the Ministry of Health on the election of allowing it to proceed as the "effects of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is not as serious as the Delta variant, hence the election can still go ahead, but with the standard operating procedure (SOPs)" and said that the ministry had submitted recommendations on the SOPs to the National Security Council (MKN) and the Election Commission (EC).[51]
Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities I and Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) Tanjung Piai Division Chief and Member of Parliament (MP) Wee Jeck Seng said only a name for the MCA Pekan Nanas state seat candidate had been proposed and submitted to the state and federal leaderships of Barisan Nasional (BN) for approval and insinuated the candidate is the MCA Tanjung Piai Division Vice-Chief Tan Eng Meng who also contested for the same seat in the 2018 state election.[52] Johor MCA Election Director Lim Pay Hen also reminded MCA candidates that they need to be digitally savvy to engage with voters and have their own Information Technology (IT) teams to constantly update voters on their messages and activities on social media. A Chinese New Year dinner function organised by Pontian MCA raised a hot topic of the rare presence of the incumbent Pulai Sebatang assemblyman Muhammad Taqiuddin Cheman from Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the state constituency. UMNO Secretary-General and Pontian Member of Parliament (MP) Ahmad Maslan quipped that the wrong candidate for Pulai Sebatang state seat was elected in the 2018 state election and laughed that Muhammad had been included the on the list of missing persons. He also played cool of the requests by UMNO divisions to contest for seats traditionally contested by other BN component parties by saying that such requests were common affairs in the politics now and said the state and federal leaders of BN would make final decisions. Pontian MCA also vowed to be all out to regain the Pulai Sebatang state seat.
20 branch leaders from Tanjung Piai Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU) Division have signed letters pledging loyalty to the party after four officebearers including its Secretary who is also Pekan Nanas Timur Branch Chief left BERSATU to join WARISAN and clarified that only Pekan Nanas Timur branch was dissolved, 20 other branches were not as well as dismissing claims that more than 300 ordinary members had left BERSATU.[53]
Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) reminded the public to be vigilant and not to be deceived by fake news asking senior citizens not to vote in the election after detecting a message viral asking so. It also stated that the reminder is important to "avoid confusion and panic among people that can trigger unwanted situations" and "stern action can be taken against those who spread fake news under relevant legislation" and advised the public to get latest information and verify authentic news from official sources.[54]
8 February 2022
Barisan Nasional (BN) Deputy Chairman, Mohamad Hasan admitted that the new 750,000 voters would be a “big issue" for all political coalitions and parties as they have to study the attitude of the new voters and woo them to support for BN as well as reminding that not all of them are aged 18 to 21 while this group does not even make up 30% of them.[55]
Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) denied a claim from PH that it had demanded certain number of seats from PH components, confirming while it still negotiates with other parties it would contest under its own logo.[56]
Homeland Fighters' Party (PEJUANG) President Mukhriz Mahathir said PEJUANG does not plan to join the "big camp" and uphold its principle proposed by PH to contest in the election and is going solo on its ticket and any cooperation with the other Opposition parties might only be considered later. He also said PEJUANG did not hold any serious talks with other parties.[57]
9 February 2022
The Election Commission (EC) has fixed a set of important and official dates for the election. The EC also targets 70% of registered voters to turn up to cast their votes on the polling day. EC also encourages voters to exercise their responsibility and would run a "Jom Kita Undi" (Lets Vote) campaign by social media, public service announcement, putting up banners at strategic locations and public hotspots. The EC also called for cooperation from all quarters to take similar approach and promised to continue providing live streaming of the election process at selected state constituencies on its Facebook page. In addition, the EC also advised candidates and their agents to fill in and check their nomination papers at the offices of their respective returning officers or Johor EC office a day before, pay their deposits early to ensure smooth running of the process during nomination day, the nomination papers can only be submitted by the candidate or his proposer or seconder at the nomination centres during the nomination period. In a separate development, the EC stated that Malaysians in four neighbouring nations including southern Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, and Kalimantan (Indonesia) previously ineligible for postal voting may apply from 9 to 18 February to cast their ballots after it had addressed and repealed two major requirements for overseas voters. It also stated another adjustment is the removal of the requirement for the voter to have been in Malaysia for a certain period during the 5-year term of the previous state assembly. EC also added there are a total of 2.59 million people eligible to vote and it will be appointing 49,920 officials to carry out this election at 1,021 polling centres in Johor.[58]
DAP, AMANAH and MUDA signed an agreement unveiling the outcomes of their cooperation on seat negotiations by declaring that they will not contest against each other, with MUDA getting 6 seats previously allocated to DAP and AMANAH ranging from Tenang, Bukit Kepong, Parit Raja, Machap, Puteri Wangsa to Bukit Permai. MUDA also clarified that the seat negotiations with PKR are still ongoing to "achieve unity in facing this election"[59] The three parties also said they would combine their election machinery to support all of their candidates as they were about to move on as election strategic partners although MUDA is not part of PH and this is in line with the "big camp" principle to unite all Opposition parties to take on the ruling BN coalition. They also promised to form the Johor state government together if they win in the election. Johor PKR Chairman Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said PKR had offered 3 seats to MUDA and was awaiting a response to the offer.[60]
Johor DAP Chairman Liew Chin Tong confirmed that incumbent DAPSkudai assemblyman Tan Hong Pin had been dropped as a candidate without nomination by the party and would instead nominate Tan to contest for the Labis federal seat in the next general election.[61]
Barisan Nasional (BN) Chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reiterated the candidate of BN for the Johor Menteri Besar position is incumbent Menteri Besar Hasni Mohammad. He also warned that the Opposition would be going all out to discredit BN in an effort to win votes and BN needed everyone to play their parts especially its cybertroopers as well as saying that BN lost in the 2018 state election due to the weak performance of its social media teams. Hasni warned BN of the need to limit numbers attending its events to comply with COVID-19 SOPs and it is not having the election to celebrate the past winning streak but to bring development to the state and return the previous glory of Johor under BN. BN Deputy Chairman Mohamad Hasan also warned BN of not being complacent after its landslide victory in the 2021 Melaka state election by saying that every elections are different as well as adding that BN set a key performance index (KPI), aiming to win at least 13 out of 15 state seats in the central region of Johor after winning only 7 in the 2018 state election. He also reminded BN component parties not to fight against each other due to disagreements in small issues like candidate nominations, seat allocations and so on that created disunity among BN that he said could affect the chance of winning in the election and had resulted in the defeat of BN in the 2018 state election, not due to the strength of PH.
Events from the Issue of the Writ of Election to the Nomination Day (10 to 26 February 2022)
Homeland Fighters' Party launched their campaign and planned to announce candidates 42 seats two days before nomination day. It confirmed plans to contest alone.[63]
13 February 2022
MIC launched their election machinery in a crowded event attended by various BN leaders including Minister of Defence Hishammuddin Hussein, incumbent Menteri Besar of Johor Hasni Mohammad, and MIC president Vigneswaran Sanasee. The Ministry of Health later issued compounds on the attendees for breaking COVID-19 prevention SOPs.[64]
14 February 2022
PKR announced some of their candidates in three separate events across Johor. Among the candidates named was former Education Minister and incumbent Simpang Renggam MP Maszlee Malik who will be contesting in Layang-Layang.[65][66][67]
WARISAN decided to contest in the election, announcing former assemblyman for Kukup, Suhaimi Salleh, as the party's state coordinator in Johor. As WARISAN declared itself as alternative to other established coalitions, its plan to cooperate with MUDA (who already cooperated with PH) for the election became unclear.[8][69]
17 February 2022
Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (GERAKAN) submitted at least five candidates to PN leadership, an increase from its last election appearance in 2018. The party claimed all its candidates as clean and would submit their names to MACC for verification.[70]
The Election Commission announced that they permit public speeches and house calls, subject to limitations such as not more than 100 people could attend and public speeches must be held at party operations centre and/or headquarters for no more than 2 hours and must end before 10 pm.[72]
A Perikatan Nasional event to launch its party machinery was attended by ca. 2000 members including component party leaders such as Muhyiddin Yassin. The organiser was later fined 1000 ringgits by the Ministry of Health.[75]
19 February 2022
DAP National Organising Secretary Anthony Loke announced that Johor Chief Liew Chin Tong will be contesting in the election, but not on the Skudai seat.[76]
20 February 2022
PSM decided to contest in the election, stating that they will announce candidates the next day. It claimed that bigger parties tend to squabble over seats and forgetting common problems encountered by Johoreans.[13]
21 February 2022
MUDA announces 3 more candidates, naming Lim Wei Jiet for Tenang, Nurafiqah M Zulkifli for Bukit Kepong and Johor State Chairman Mohd Azrol Rahani for Bukit Permai.[77]
PSM names film director Arangkannal Rajoo as their sole candidate for Kota Iskandar.[78]
23 February 2022
WARISAN has announced that they will be fielding their first candidate, officially, in Bukit Batu.[79] WARISAN President, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal has refused to announce the confirmed total of seats the party will be contesting in. They have also received 1,000 new members from UMNO, PKR, BERSATU and Putra.
24 February 2022
Barisan Nasional announced candidates for the election from UMNO and MIC. UMNO canceled its plan to contest in 42 seats as it only added absorbed seats from GERAKAN which has moved to PN since 2020, while MCA has yet to announce its candidates as its list was not finalised yet. Candidacy plans for Friends of BN such as KIMMA and MMSP were not mentioned.[80]
MUDA announced its candidates competing for Parit Raja, Machap and Larkin, with Larkin already being contested by PKR, opening possibilities that MUDA or PKR would announce further candidates.[81]
Heritage Party (WARISAN) announced that it would field 6 candidates in the election.[87]
MCA announced 15 candidates for the election during its anniversary celebration.[88]
PKR Johor chief Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh claimed the party will not retaliate MUDA's decision to contest in Larkin by challenging other MUDA seats, out of respect for its PH coalition partners.[89]
On 27 February 2022, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he will review a video depicting former prime minister Najib Razak purportedly violating Covid-19 standard operating procedure (SOP) during a campaign visit in Perling.[104]
On 10 March 2022, Khairy revealed that his ministry had issued 42 compound notices for the violation of SOPs during the campaign period for the Johor election, including five to Najib.[105][106][107]
Aftermath
Onn Hafiz Ghazi, elected MLA for Machap, were sworn in as the new Menteri Besar of Johor on 15 March, replacing Hasni.[108] The EXCO members were sworn in on 26 March.[109]
Eventhough the results of the Malaysian general election in November 2022 saw the historic formation of federal government consisting of the alliance between Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional, the status quo is not changed for the government in Johor.[110] As of January 2023, PH is still an opposition party in the state assembly, although according to Johor PH chairman, the relationship between PH and BN is 'good'.[111]
The elected MLA for Simpang Jeram, Salahuddin Ayub (who is also the MP for Pulai, Johor PH chairman, and then Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living) died on 23 July 2023, necessitating the 2023 Simpang Jeram by-election for the state seat (and the 2023 Pulai by-election for the federal seat).[112] The by-election saw the first collaboration between BN and PH at Johor state level, as BN acceded to PH to put its candidate there, as well as campaigning together.[113] Both seats were retained by PH in the by-election.
After MUDA's president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman announced his party's support withdrawal of the unity government at federal level on 10 September 2023 in protest of UMNO and BN president Zahid Hamidi recent discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) of his 47 court cases, the sole MUDA representative at Johor assembly, Puteri Wangsa's MLA Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz announced the day after that she also withdraws from the state government coalition and will be in the opposition bloc (now known as Balancer Bloc in the Johor assembly), though not in coalition with PN.[114][115]