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In an unusual move ahead of the Johor state election, PAS has directed its members and supporters to vote for Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates — including those from MCA and MIC — in 23 constituencies where Perikatan Nasional (PN) is not fielding anyone.

The directive came from PAS Deputy President Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, who confirmed it applies equally to non-Malay candidates from both parties.

The reason, PAS said, is straightforward: deny Pakatan Harapan (PH) the seats, and keep DAP out of the next Johor state government.

BN chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the coalition appreciates the support but was careful to draw a line.

The gesture, he said, does not guarantee any future alliance between Umno and PAS.

State BN Chairman and Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi added that BN is contesting all 56 seats independently, with the sole aim of governing Johor on its own.

Grateful for the Votes, Sceptical of the Gesture

MCA President Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong outright rejected suggestions of any collaboration with PN, calling them baseless.

His argument: MCA is actively contesting against PAS and Bersatu candidates in seats like Jementah, Paloh, Layang-Layang, and Stulang.

A party fighting three-cornered battles against PN, he said, cannot credibly be accused of colluding with it.

Former MCA vice president Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker argues that PAS’s endorsement of BN candidates in Johor is not an act of generosity or strength — it is a party with a weak electoral track record in the state trying to attach itself to a likely winner.

He points to PAS’s near-total wipeout in the 2022 Johor election, where it won only one of the many seats it contested, as proof that the party brings little actual vote-delivery power to the table.

The former deputy minister’s conclusion is blunt: PAS is not helping BN win — it is positioning itself to claim credit if BN wins anyway.

Meanwhile, MIC aligned with the BN position and made no separate statement.

The Complication Nobody Addressed

What none of the parties has fully resolved is this: in some seats, MCA is campaigning against PAS candidates, while in others, PAS supporters are being told to vote for MCA — both things are happening in the same election.

In a true alliance, partners do not fight each other, yet in Johor, PAS and MCA are actively trying to defeat each other in the 11 seats where PN has fielded candidates.

There is no formal agreement, but the outcome — PAS votes flowing to MCA and MIC — is the same as if there were, and that contradiction has not gone unnoticed.

PH, particularly DAP, has moved quickly to frame the directive as evidence of a creeping alignment between BN and PAS.

Johor DAP Chairman Teo Nie Ching and other party leaders have directly warned non-Malay voters: a vote for BN, they argue, is now effectively a vote for PAS.

The claim is disputed by BN and MCA.

But PAS’s own public statement — naming MCA and MIC by name — has given the argument a concrete foundation.

READ MORE: Former DAP Analyst Sees BN Sweeping Johor, He Also Sees What Comes Next

READ MORE: “Alhamdulillah, Go Ahead And Resign” — UMNO’s Tok Mat Calls Nga Kor Ming’s Bluff Ahead Of Johor State Election

READ MORE: [Watch] Nga Kor Ming: I’ll Be First To Quit If Najib Walks Free

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