JOHOR BAHRU, JUNE 18 — Being a poster boy or the main character representing a party’s campaign in an election is not a guarantee of being appointed as Menteri Besar if a new government is successfully formed.
Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, said that the approval of the palace, especially the Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim and the Regent Sultan of Johor Tunku Mahkota Ismail, was very important in determining who would lead the state government.
“As Menteri Besar, I will be seen as the ‘ poster boy ‘, that’s normal.”
“But we are clear that whatever the circumstances, the one who will determine who the menteri besar is is the Sultan of Johor or the Regent Sultan of Johor.”
“The approval of the Johor Palace is very important,” he said in a special interview with print media practitioners and news portals at Saujana, his official residence, yesterday.
The poster boy strategy , which is usually used in every election, is important to build and attract voter confidence to support candidates from the contesting party.
He also shared advice from the Johor Palace for all parties to maintain good manners and discipline during the campaign period.
He said that mutual respect is important to practice despite differences in political beliefs and ideologies.
“There’s no need to curse or insult. Maintain good manners, that’s what your Majesty says,” he said.
In another development, Onn Hafiz said that feedback from the Johor Palace and the people was one of the yardsticks used to see their performance level over the past four years.
“For me and all the Exco members, I always remind myself and them that feedback on the government’s performance needs to come from two parties, not just from me.”
“When the people and the Palace say that we have carried out our duties well, that is when we can consider that the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set have been successfully achieved.
“But if one of them, whether it’s the Royal Institution or the people, gives feedback that we’re not doing our job well, in my opinion, we’re not doing our responsibility well. We’re always sensitive to the feedback given,” he said.
The Johor state election is set for July 11, while the nomination of candidates is on June 27.
— BERNAMA
