JOHOR BAHRU, July 5 — The Johor State Election Dialogue will proceed as scheduled on Tuesday (July 7) despite Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi being understood to be unable to attend due to other commitments.

The programme, jointly organised by RTM, Astro Awani and Sinar Harian, is scheduled to take place at the RTM Auditorium, Johor Broadcasting Department, from 8 pm.

According to an invitation letter issued by the Johor Information Department, the dialogue session is expected to involve about 200 participants from various government departments, agencies and Madani Communities.

Among those expected to attend are Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil and Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for the Puteri Wangsa state seat, Dr Maszlee Malik.

Meanwhile, an aide to Onn Hafiz, when contacted, confirmed that the Menteri Besar was not scheduled to attend the programme.

“No. The MB is not listed in the programme itinerary,” the aide said briefly.

Earlier, RTM, Astro Awani and Sinar Harian had extended official invitations to Onn Hafiz and Maszlee to participate in the Johor state election dialogue.

The one-hour dialogue aims to provide both figures with a fair and balanced platform to present their vision, policies, priorities and solutions to issues of concern to the people of Johor.

The 16th Johor State Election will see 172 candidates contesting for 56 seats, with polling set for July 11 and early voting on July 7.

For the latest news on the election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/johor. — Bernama