Explain why ‘poster boy’ Hasni not made MB, Umno told

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PETALING JAYA: Umno is obliged to explain to Johor voters why Hasni Mohammad was not appointed the menteri besar when it had used the “poster boy” as its candidate to lead the state during the recent election campaign.

Ilham Centre’s head researcher, Yusri Ibrahim, believed that Hasni, being Barisan Nasional’s (BN) menteri besar designate, was an impetus that led to Umno’s big win in the elections.

“Johor Umno needs to answer to the voters because part of its campaign was proclaiming Hasni as the menteri besar designate.

“The party had promised the voters that Hasni would be made the menteri besar if the people’s mandate was given to it. Now, Umno must explain to the voters what went wrong,” he told FMT.

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In Malaysia, the sultans have the authority

From Murray Hunter


Nothing is straightforward in Malaysia. Last Saturday, Barisan Nasional (BN), led by Umno won a resounding state elections victory in Johor, only to find that their chosen menteri besar candidate, Hasni Mohammad, was overlooked by the Johor palace and instead Onn Hafiz Ghazi took office.

This is not the first time political party nominees for the position of chief minister have been knocked back by their respective state palaces. Back in Terengganu, in 2008, there was a political impasse when the Sultan insisted Ahmad Said be chief minister over Umno’s choice, Idris Jusoh.

In 2009, the Raja of Perlis refused to swear in Shahidan Kassim as chief minister and swore in Md Isa Sabu instead.

In Selangor, in 2014, in what was called the Kajang Move, the Sultan refused to appoint then opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as chief minister, picking Azmin Ali, even though he didn’t have apparent support from the majority of assembly members.

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Johor MB debacle: It’s like feeling knives are out for you, says Umno man

KUALA LUMPUR – Leaders will not be able to focus and perform their administrative duties properly if they feel there are “hidden hands” pulling strings behind their backs, an Umno leader warned.

Speaking at the Umno general assembly, Wangsa Maju Umno chief Datuk Seri Mohd Shafei Abdullah asked if the recent debacle surrounding the Johor menteri besar’s appointment had more to it than meets the eye.

He said that despite scoring a handsome victory in the southern state last week, the fiasco engulfing the state’s top post was an anti-climatic incident after the party’s pick for the office, Datuk Hasni Mohammad, was overlooked.

“I have to ask this. While we were busy ensuring victory in Johor, was there a silent ploy behind the scenes taking place without the blessing of the Umno president (Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi)?

“I assume there wasn’t. But if there was, please stop this culture,” he said when debating the president’s policy speech today.

“In the end, leaders will lose confidence to carry out their duties, because wherever they go, they feel like someone is carrying a knife behind them.”

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