Johor Amanah vice-chairman Zuhan Zain said there had been and would be no talks for an electoral pact with Muda, which currently sits in the opposition in Parliament and the Johor legislative assembly.

Zuhan added that PH “loaned” the Puteri Wangsa seat to Muda in the 2022 Johor polls, Berita Harian reported.

“The seat was loaned to Muda in the spirit of cooperation, but Muda later retracted support (for the unity government).

“I want to confirm that we have not held, nor will we hold, any political negotiations with Muda. This is Amanah’s firm stand on Muda’s actions,” he was quoted as saying.

Zuhan said any political alliance must be based on loyalty to the people’s mandate and a commitment to political stability.

PH and Muda used to be allies and had electoral pacts in the 2022 Johor polls and the general election later that same year.

Muda’s acting president Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz won the Puteri Wangsa state seat in 2022 with a majority of 7,114 votes, defeating rivals from Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional (PN), among others.

Umno had held the seat since its creation in 2004 before PAS won it for Pakatan Rakyat in 2013.

Bersatu won the constituency for PH in the 2018 general election, but after leaving the coalition and joining PN, the seat is now held by PN.

In response, Johor PKR Youth chief Faezuddin Puad said the Puteri Wangsa seat should not be seen as the permanent stronghold of any party.

“Seat allocations must be determined rationally, taking into account the strength of party machinery, on-the-ground operations, and the ability to win voters’ support,” he said in a Facebook post.

Faezuddin also said if the process was not carefully managed, the party risked its candidates being rejected or seen as “parachute” entrants with no real roots in the constituency.