Barisan Nasional Scores Landslide Victory In Johor State Election
Following the state election of Johor on Saturday (12 Mar), Malaysian coalition party Barisan Nasional (BN) swept 40 out of 56 seats to become the new ruling party.
Hours before the win was announced, former prime minister Najib Razak claimed in an interview that the people miss him as Prime Minister and his policies.
Here’s a breakdown of his divisive statement and a look at how netizens are responding to it.
Najib claims economy was doing well under him
During the interview, which took place as part of a livestream of the election results on BN’s Facebook page, Najib was asked why he has received such a warm reception from the people during the campaign trail.
He replied, “He (former PM Muhyiddin Yassin) has to ask the people if he doesn’t know the answer.”
My guess is. . . the people miss the era when I was the Prime Minister and my policies. . . During my time, the people lived well, the businessmen had it easy, and the economy was thriving.
He went on to add that there was ‘certainty’ and a clear direction back then, which he believed to be the reason why Johorians embraced him with open arms.
Unsurprised by how Barisan Nasional fared, Najib says
At the time of the interview, BN had yet to be announced as the winner of the election, although it was already leading in more than two-thirds of the seats.
When asked about how he viewed Johor’s future post-election, Najib said he was not surprised by the results, judging by how enthusiastic the crowds were at BN campaign events.
“Although we had Covid-19 SOPs this time and could not do rallies like in the past, the reception we still got despite the SOPs was bigger and enthusiastic,” he noted.
That, to me, was a sign that we were going to win.
However, Najib did not disclose how he felt before the elections out of worry he could be wrong, and to prevent people from seeing him as arrogant.
“In my heart, I felt optimistic that we would win big from the start,” the 68-year old politician stated.
Controversial statement sets netizens abuzz
With Najib’s laundry list of criminal charges and scandal-plagued history, netizens were quick to share their thoughts as soon as news broke of Najib’s statement.
Commenters held nothing back in a Twitter thread started by Malaysian news site The Vibes.
In the case of this Twitter user, one single meme was enough to sum up her shock.
One netizen made a prediction for Malaysia’s next general election, which has been heavily speculated to kick off next year.
Suffice to say, this commenter is not a fan of Najib’s policies.
One Twitter user suggested Najib’s words were perhaps more apt for the rampant corruption that went on during his administration.
Meanwhile, another commenter gave ‘thanks’ to the people of Johor for re-electing Barisan Nasional, the party that Najib belongs to.
A new chapter for the Johor government
Whether one agrees with Najib’s words or otherwise, the past is a book that cannot be rewritten, and Malaysians will have to keep moving forward.
As a new ruling government gets ready to be sworn in, we hope that the elected assemblymen will work hand in hand with Johorians to progress the state and better the lives of the people.
What are your thoughts on the Johor election and Najib’s interview? Share away in the comments below.
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Featured image adapted from Barisan Nasional on Facebook.
