Royal family’s role important in how Johor votes in GE14, says study
(FMT) – A Singapore think tank has found that whether the Barisan Nasional loses seats in its bastion of Johor in the next general election could well depend on the Johor royal family, which is held in great esteem by locals.
Some of those interviewed by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute even said the country would be much better off if the Tunku Mahkota of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, were to be prime minister.
The ISEAS-Yusof Ishak survey of Johor voters in 2017 showed that voters seemed undecided which way to vote, with neither the BN nor the opposition offering a compelling reason to choose them.
Channel NewsAsia (CNA) quoted Dr Serina Abdul Rahman, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute as saying Johor residents had great trust and respect for the Johor Sultan and Tunku Ismail, next in line to the Johor throne.
“The people support them because they do what they say,” she added.
Dr Francis Hutchinson, coordinator for the Malaysia study programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, was quoted as saying Johor had been underpinned by a strong sultan who had exercised control over aspects of state administration, particularly religion.”
The study, based on in-depth focus group discussions and interviews with residents, was presented at a conference at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute on Dec 13.
Hutchinson said Johor was unlikely to fall to the opposition. Johor, with 26 parliamentary seats is expected to be a key battleground in GE14 and Pakatan Harapan (PH) has already indicated that it is focusing on winning the state.
He said the BN coalition was in danger of losing seats, particularly in the urbanised constituencies of Pulai, Pasir Gudang and Tebrau.
In this context, the CNA report said, the royal family might have an important role to play.
Many voters, Hutchinson was quoted as saying, seemed undecided which way to vote, with neither the BN nor the opposition offering a compelling reason to choose them, adding this was a reflection of the national trend.
The study also found that in the Gelang Patah parliamentary constituency, for example, the sentiment was that whoever provided residents with assistance and handouts would get their vote. Some voters said they might not even bother to vote if it rained.
There was, the study revealed, voter fatigue with politics in the constituency held by DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang.
Residents complained that politicians and political groups no longer walked the ground there. This has fuelled some disenchantment with local politics and created an ambivalence over who wins the election.
According to the CNA report, the study found that some residents were tired of the 1MDB scandal and disillusioned with the intense politicking that has seen Dr Mahathir Mohamad returning to politics to helm the opposition.
