BN considers itself the ‘underdog’, says Onn Hafiz

PETALING JAYA: Barisan Nasional (BN) is approaching the Johor state election as the underdog and will not take the contest for granted in all 56 seats, says its state chairman Onn Hafiz Ghani.

He said BN would continue to work hard and intensify its outreach efforts to engage with as many voters, Bernama reported.

“Because we are not the federal government, we consider ourselves the underdogs. We will work hard to meet as many ‘Bangsa Johor’ as we can,” he told reporters after a meet-and-greet session with the residents of Flat Saujana in Johor Bahru today.

Onn Hafiz, who is the candidate for Machap, said this is despite BN being part of the unity government at the federal level, which includes PH.

He added that support for BN candidates had been encouraging so far and expressed hope that the momentum would continue through to polling day.

He also hoped the election would proceed in a peaceful and orderly manner.

“That is the Johor way. We want to preserve harmony so that democracy can continue to flourish in the state,” he said.

According to Onn Hafiz, the Johor BN manifesto, which outlines 63 pledges, builds on initiatives already implemented by the state government.

“These include our housing agenda, programmes for Johor youths and the ‘Kasih Johor’ assistance initiative.

“We had also organised the ‘Semarak Subuh’ programme and, if BN is given the mandate, we plan to introduce ‘Semarak Isyak’ as well. It’s a continuation of what we have (already) done,” he said.

Johor goes to the polls on July 11, while early voting takes place on July 7.