Nur Jazlan: Singapore study on support for Johor BN incomplete
JOHOR BARU: A Singaporean research institute’s findings on the supposedly waning support for Barisan Nasional in Johor do not reflect the real situation.
Pulai Umno division chief Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the study by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute was conducted at random and did not represent sentiments at all levels in the state.
“It is very easy to reach a conclusion without taking all things into consideration.
“The study also said BN would lose the Pulai parliamentary seat, but I disagree. In the last election, some quarters said the same.
“That’s why the study is incomplete. It does not capture all the views in each area,” said Nur Jazlan, who is also deputy home minister and Pulai member of parliament.
He was speaking after launching an under-12 football tournament at the Pulai Parliamentary Community Centre yesterday.
The study’s programme coordinator, Dr Francis Hutchinson, told Channel NewsAsia (CNA) on Thursday that support for Umno and BN had slipped in recent years, but added that support was strong enough for the ruling coalition to win Johor in the election.
He said BN’s support went down from 70 per cent to 65 per cent in 2008 and 55 per cent in 2013. He said BN could lose a few seats in Johor, particularly in urban constituencies like Pulai, Pasir Gudang and Tebrau.
CNA said the study was based on in-depth focus group discussions and interviews with residents in rural Johor and Kedah.
Nur Jazlan said Johor voters were wary of lies spread by the opposition in the past two elections, and voters were smart enough to differentiate who could better serve them.
“The opposition harped on how they would win big in the past. But people have lost their trust in them due to their lies and propaganda.
“The reality is that the opposition comprises parties that cannot cooperate with each other.”
He said even in his Pulai constituency, voters had to deal with lies from the opposition.
He said opposition candidate Salahuddin Ayub contested against him on a Pas ticket in the 2013 election, but he was now with Parti Amanah Negara.
“I want to see who the opposition candidate will be. I do not think Pulai voters will want an opposition candidate to be their representative.
“Pulai voters will only elect the best candidate to serve them.”
In 2013, Nur Jazlan won with a 3,226-vote majority.