In a post on Facebook today, Nur Jazlan, who is also the Johor Umno deputy chairman, said Amanah and PKR have in the past few days acted like they hold more authority than they actually do in the unity government, especially when it comes to demanding positions and power in the Johor state government.
“Time and again, Amanah and PKR come with big hopes whenever there’s an opportunity, demanding more seats and positions as if they’re dominant parties.
“The reality is that they’re just passengers jostling for seats on a plane piloted by Umno and DAP. Sometimes their demands make me laugh, as they seem to forget who the main players in the unity government really are,” he said.
Nur Jazlan’s comments echo those of fellow Umno leader Hafiz Ariffin, who on Sunday hit out at Amanah Youth chief Hasbie Muda for calling for a unity state government to be formed in Johor following Barisan Nasional’s thumping win in the Mahkota by-election.
Hasbie, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) Youth deputy chief, had said earlier that PH should be included in the Johor government in line with the alliances in the federal government.
Amanah and its PH partners are part of the federal coalition but are not included in the BN-run Johor government which was formed in March 2022, following its landslide victory in the state polls.
Nur Jazlan hit out at Amanah for being “greedy” in demanding posts and acting like a major power, claiming that the party was in reality just “a comrade of DAP”.
“(Both Amanah and PKR) are relying on luck to stay relevant, like playing roulette or slot machines, hoping the ball lands in their favour.
“My advice to Amanah and PKR is that politics isn’t just about hoping for good luck. Umno and DAP are the key players at the poker table because we have the strength in members, supporters and machinery.
“Amanah and PKR don’t have those advantages, so they shouldn’t be sitting at the poker table. Luck isn’t a long-term strategy and the old Umno-hating strategy won’t work now that Umno is your ally,” he said.
Nur Jazlan said Johor is similar to Sarawak as its government is not based on the federal BN-PH cooperation.
“If PH truly wants to be fair, they should ask Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to demand from (Sarawak premier) Abang Johari Openg to form a unity government in Sarawak because GPS is part of the federal government,” he said.