Defeated Johor BN will make way for new state administration

JOHOR BARU: Johor Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin yesterday said the party will give their cooperation to enable a smooth transition of power to their Pakatan Harapan (PH) victors to administer the state.

Mohamed Khaled who conceded the former ruling coalition’s defeat after the 14th general election yesterday, said: “I and Johor BN accept the decision with an open heart as the democratic voice of the people should be respected.

“At the same time we will also be committed in respecting the people’s choice,” he told reporters during a press conference held at the Johor Umno liaison headquarters in Jalan Yahya Awal here.

Mohamed Khaled also congratulated the PH coalition that had succeeded in forming the new state government.

He said he hoped that the new state administration will give their best in order to prosper the people.

To a question on Johor BN’s shock defeat, Mohamed Khaled said the party will conduct a study on the factors that led to the defeat nationwide, including Johor.

“Perhaps there is a reason that I lost (losing the Pasir Gudang parliamentary and Permas state seats). I will touch on the matter on another day,” he said.

Also present was Johor BN secretary Datuk Md Jais Sarday.

The 59-year-old one-term Johor mentri besar was last week quoted as being BN’s choice to return to the post after the GE14.

For the Pasir Gudang parliamentary seat, Khaled, who was BN’s top candidate, garnered 36,889 votes.

However, the heavyweight lost to PKR’s Hassan Abdul Karim who received 61,615 votes with a whopping majority of 24,726 votes.

PAS’ Ab Aziz Abdullah garnered only 6,278 votes in the three-cornered contest for Pasir Gudang.

On Khaled’s Permas state seat, he received 20,047 votes, but was beaten by Datuk Seri Che Zakaria Mohd Salleh with 28,793 votes. PAS’ Ab Aziz only garnered 4,181 votes.

PH yesterday seized the state by taking 36 out of the state’s 56 seats in a historical defeat for BN and Umno in Johor.

This is the first time that BN and its lynchpin Umno have lost Johor, which is the spiritual birthplace of the Malay nationalist party in 1946.