Answer critics with your track record, Onn Hafiz told

PETALING JAYA: Johor menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi should respond to his critics based on his administration’s track record and achievements instead of dragging other institutions into the political debate, an analyst said.

Syaza Shukri of the International Islamic University Malaysia said Onn Hafiz needed to differentiate between obtaining the people’s mandate through the ballot box and the process of the sultan formally appointing the state government.

“In campaigning and political debates, leaders should respond within the political and administrative framework.

“Other institutions need to be differentiated from the people’s mandate. Voters want leaders who are qualified based on their own capacity,” she told FMT.

Syaza was responding to Onn Hafiz’s retort to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who had urged Johoreans to elect leaders who were wise, principled, not arrogant, and capable of working with Putrajaya.

The Johor Umno chief rejected suggestions that his administration had not been cooperative with the federal government.

He also said the Johor sultan had given his royal assent to the appointment of the menteri besar and his state executive council.

Syaza said that in a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy, the sultan’s consent to an administration’s appointment was part of the constitutional process, but political mandates were still determined through elections.

She said referring to the Johor palace in responding to criticism risked inviting unnecessary interpretations, especially with the July 11 state election looming.

Anwar’s swipe at Onn Hafiz stems from the Umno man previously saying he would rather not hold the menteri besar’s post than work with DAP in the state government.

This remark triggered a war of words with DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook, though the pair kept things cordial and professional when they met at a transport ministry event in Johor yesterday.

Syaza said Onn Hafiz’s swipe at DAP could work in retaining the support of Umno’s core voters, but would hamper his image as an inclusive leader.

Separately, Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Onn Hafiz’s statement needed to be read in the context of Johor’s political environment, which had a history of its own.

Azmi said the reality in Johor was that separating the palace, politics and political parties was a tall order.

“Onn Hafiz may not have intended to link the palace to partisan politics, but the history of his appointment as menteri besar may have influenced him to answer in such a way,” he said.

He was referring to Onn Hafiz’s appointment as the menteri besar after the March 2022 Johor polls when Barisan Nasional had, in effect, campaigned with Hasni Mohammad as its candidate for the top post.

Azmi said Onn Hafiz’s challenge now was to defend his administration’s record and show that he was capable of working professionally with Putrajaya.