KUALA LUMPUR, June 4 — DAP Strategic Director Liew Chin Tong has claimed that UMNO’s push to contest the upcoming Johor state election on its own reflects an ambition to restore its position as Malaysia’s dominant political force, similar to the era before 2018.

In a statement, Liew questioned Barisan Nasional’s (BN) decision to contest all 56 seats in the Johor State Legislative Assembly and to hold the state election separately from the next general election, despite BN’s cooperation with Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the federal Unity Government.

According to Liew, some within UMNO believe that a strong showing in Johor — traditionally regarded as the party’s strongest state — could serve as a springboard for BN to contest the next general election independently.

“By securing an overwhelming victory in Johor, they hope to build momentum for BN to go solo in the next general election,” he said.

Liew said that the political realities following the 2022 General Election do not support the notion that any single party can once again dominate Malaysian politics.

He noted that in the 2022 election, PH won 82 parliamentary seats, Perikatan Nasional (PN) secured 74 seats, BN won 30 seats, while Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) obtained 23 seats. Following a hung parliament, PH and BN eventually formed the Unity Government after discussions facilitated by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

According to Liew, the cooperation between PH and BN has since demonstrated its viability both in government and in elections, creating the possibility of direct contests between the Unity Government coalition and PN in the next general election.

However, he said some factions within UMNO remain reluctant to work alongside PH and continue to believe that the party can regain its former influence by contesting the largest number of seats and fielding its own candidate for prime minister.

Liew also criticised the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), claiming the party has advocated for BN to contest elections independently because it seeks to field more candidates than would be possible under seat-sharing arrangements with PH.

He alleged that MCA, despite being part of the government coalition, has frequently adopted positions more commonly associated with opposition parties by criticising the Unity Government and raising issues aimed at Chinese voters.

At the same time, he said PAS and Bersatu continue to appeal to concerns among Malay voters, which he argued has weakened support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the Unity Government.

Liew maintained that Malaysia’s political landscape has fundamentally changed since the historic 2018 General Election, which ended decades of uninterrupted BN rule.

“The era of one-party dominance ended in 2018. Malaysia no longer has a truly dominant party,” he said.

He predicted that the country’s future political competition would increasingly be shaped by PH and PN as the two main political blocs, with BN likely playing a smaller role.

While acknowledging that BN currently enjoys a strong position in Johor politics, Liew cautioned against assuming that success in a state election would automatically translate into victory at the national level.

He pointed out that despite BN’s strong performance in the 2022 Johor state election, the coalition won only nine of Johor’s 26 parliamentary seats in the subsequent general election, compared with 15 won by PH.

Liew expressed hope that UMNO and BN leaders would recognise that most Malaysians do not wish to return to the political environment that existed before 2018, adding that the country’s political landscape has evolved significantly over the past decade.