JOHOR BAHRU, July 6 — Campaigning for the 16th Johor State Election, now in its second week, has seen the two main political coalitions intensify their groundwork to reach out to the voters, with each banking on its own unique approaches to win the people’s hearts.

Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN), both fielding candidates in all 56 state seats, are opting for different campaign strategies and policy offerings ahead of the Saturday (July 11) polling day.

PH is emphasising policy agendas and solutions that address the daily concerns of the people, while BN is leveraging on the strength of its party network and the presence of several high-profile political figures to boost campaign momentum.

Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub, a political analyst from Universiti Malaya, said PH’s strategy is more focused on convincing voters through its policy offerings that address issues related to cost of living, income growth, access to affordable housing, human capital development and a more equitable distribution of economic benefits.

He said the approach reflects PH’s efforts to advance the narrative that Johor’s development should not be measured solely by investment figures or economic growth, but instead be translated into tangible benefits that can be felt directly by the people.

“PH is trying to convince voters that Johor’s development should not merely be about investment figures but must result in better wages, affordable housing, quality employment opportunities and better guaranteed welfare for the people,” he told Bernama.

“PH has unveiled its manifesto, titled “Johor For All”, which outlines a comprehensive action plan to address these critical issues, including focusing on integrated strategies to increase domestic wage levels, as well as ensuring investment returns are directly translated into improving the welfare and quality of life of the people of Johor as a whole.

Meanwhile, observations at the BN camp show that the coalition has started aggressively leveraging the return of two well-known personalities: former UMNO vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and former UMNO Youth chief  Khairy Jamaluddin (KJ), who both rejoined UMNO through the ‘Rumah Bangsa’ initiative.

Commenting on the re-emergence of former BN leaders in the state polls, Muhammad Tawfik said that in the current political landscape, voters have become increasingly discerning and are no longer easily influenced by the mere presence of prominent political figures at campaign talks (ceramah).

“Voters today are more critical. They not only see who is delivering campaign speeches, but also evaluate whether the party has clear policy offerings, credible candidates and policies that address the people’s concerns,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ilham Centre chief researcher Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Yusry Ibrahim said Hishammuddin’s active participation in this election campaign could very well reconvince some of the UMNO supporters who had previously become disillusioned with or distanced themselves from the party.

The Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) lecturer also said that Hishammuddin still has a major influence in Johor, which could help revive support for BN, especially among the coalition’s traditional supporters.

Mohd Yusry added that Khairy’s presence could also swing the advantage in BN’s favour as it strives to reach out to younger voters, since he is one of the political figures who consistently enjoys positive support among that demographic.

“KJ has consistently been a popular figure among the younger voters. His return has helped BN’s campaign quite a bit, and it could spark an interest among a segment of voters that UMNO and BN had previously struggled to reach,” he said.

According to him, voting patterns among young people have become increasingly fluid, as they no longer display the strong party loyalty seen in previous generations.

“Young voters generally are not loyal to any party. They are more attracted to public figures they recognise, follow and feel connected to. That’s why the candidate factor is becoming increasingly crucial to determining the voting inclination of this group,” he said.

The Johor state election will see 172 candidates contesting 56 seats. Polling will be held on Saturday (July 11), while early voting is scheduled for July 7.

For the latest updates on the 16th Johor State Election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/johor. — Bernama