Onn Hafiz will not face a crisis of confidence in Johor, according to pundits

SHAH ALAM - Despite murmurs of resentment against the appointment of Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi as Johor Menteri Besar, it is unlikely his administration will face a crisis of confidence, according to political pundits.

While many were perplexed that BN poster boy for the Johor state election, Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad, was snubbed at the last minute, for Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) Politics and International Relations Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani, he opined that BN assemblymen would want to focus on administrating the state rather engage in another unnecessary political tussle.

“The people are still hoping for Hasni to be in power but eventually, the people will think that its time to move on as there are bigger issues to be settled,” he said when contacted by Sinar Daily.

Azizuddin also said that in order for Onn Hafiz to gain support during his governance in the state, he needs to persuade the people of Johor as to why they supported BN in the first place.

“I think this is the biggest challenge for Onn Hafiz as the new Johor MB. He needs to ensure the support from Umno and BN assemblymen as well as Johorean to support him or he will face difficulties when it comes to the general election soon,” he said.

Weighing in on the matter is also National Professors Council chairman Professor Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin who said that although some Umno members may not be happy with the appointment of Onn Hafiz, the majority of BN state lawmakers will support him as he has the support of the state ruler.

“Onn will get the support he needs as he already has the support of the Johor palace.

“As in the past, the Johor MB will continue to receive overt and covert opinions from the palace, solicited or otherwise,” he told Sinar daily.