MERSING, June 11 — Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) is confident that it will continue to retain the Endau state seat in the upcoming Johor election despite the sudden exit of its incumbent Alwiyah Talib from the party earlier this month.

Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said Endau remains the party’s stronghold and grassroots support is still intact.

“Bersatu has gone through many challenges in the Mersing area, but the grassroots support for Bersatu remains intact. 

“Mersing still remains a Bersatu stronghold. 

“The Mersing parliamentary seat and Endau state seat were won by Bersatu. Voting patterns in Tenggaroh during the parliamentary election also showed Bersatu secured the support of voters in that state constituency,” he said in his latest post on his official Facebook page.

Mohamed Azmin was commenting on his visit yesterday to several districts Johor as part of Bersatu’s preparations for the upcoming state election. 

He was accompanied by Johor Bersatu chief Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal, who is also the state’s Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman.

Both the Mersing parliamentary seat and Endau state constituency are currently under Bersatu.

Earlier, Mohamed Azmin reminded the party leadership to continue being steadfast and work hard to defend Bersatu’s victory in all seats in the Mersing parliamentary constituency.

Alwiyah had declared her abrupt departure from Bersatu and returned to Umno on June 4.

Despite the circumstances, she said her decision, which also involved resigning from all positions held in Bersatu, was made on her own volition without being influenced by any other parties. 

Alwiyah, who is noted for maintaining a high profile through shifting political coalitions, was first elected to the Endau state seat in the 2018 general election as an Umno candidate on a Barisan Nasional (BN) ticket.

Within the same year, she and several others left for Bersatu in support of the Johor PH coalition led by the late Datuk Osman Sapian.

Alwiyah successfully defended the seat as a PN candidate in the previous state election in 2022, making her the incumbent assemblyman.