Umno, Amanah divisions lock horns over Kota Iskandar seat
PETALING JAYA : The Iskandar Puteri divisions of Umno and Amanah are gearing up for a possible clash in the next Johor state election, as both stake their claim for the Kota Iskandar seat.
Iskandar Puteri Amanah chief Dzulkefly Ahmad had recently said Pakatan Harapan should contest the state seat currently held by Umno, even if it meant a three-cornered fight with its ally Barisan Nasional.
'There is no issue if PH has to face a three-way contest there, including against BN,' he was reported as saying.
Dzulkefly, the former Kota Iskandar assemblyman, added that the division had agreed to make this call during its annual general meeting on July 20.
'This shows Amanah's commitment to strengthening the party's presence in Johor and PH's position in such strategic areas,' he said.
In response, Iskandar Puteri Umno said it respected the right of any political party to contest any seat and that it was not intimidated by the Amanah man's challenge.
The Umno division's information chief, Abd Aziz Sapian, said the party remained committed to bolstering Johor's political stability for the sake of the state's development and the people's welfare.
He added that seat negotiations were the prerogative of the leaderships of each party and coalition, not something decided by the divisions.
'The BN assemblyman for Kota Iskandar will continue to serve until the end of his term, unaffected by Amanah's political rhetoric.
'If Amanah chooses to split the votes, Umno sees this as proof of PH's weakness in managing internal consensus. The people will judge who truly serves their interests, and who is merely chasing power,' he said.
In the 2022 Johor polls, the Kota Iskandar state seat was won by Umno's Pandak Ahmad with a majority of 4,360 votes ahead of Dzulkefly.
Dzulkefly, the Johor Amanah deputy chief, previously said PH might consider going solo in the next state election as BN seemed unwilling to negotiate seat allocations.
Johor is currently governed by BN, which has 40 elected representatives, while PH's 12 assemblymen only serve as backbenchers in the state assembly.
The opposition comprises Perikatan Nasional's three assemblymen and one representative from Muda.
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