Disillusionment with BN grows as inflation goes up in Johor

JOHOR — Mechanic Leong remembers the days when government agencies would pay him promptly for repairing their vehicles at his workshop on the outskirts of Johor Baru.

"When Dr Mahathir was in charge, it was easier. It was easier to collect payment because the economy was good," he told The Malaysian Insight of the days under former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"Now, it's hard to collect payment," said the father of two in lamenting the state of the economy today.

Mr Leong's complaints were echoed by other Johoreans in their mid-50s, who said they were more financially squeezed these days compared to a year ago.

Their anger over the rise in living costs is the top most issue in Johor — a Barisan Nasional fortress that is under assault from opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan.

Johor PH, which is being led by former Umno leader and menteri besar Muhiyiddin Yassin, hopes to capitalise on the anguish over pocket-book issues among Johoreans to take over the state.

However, despite seething anger over bread-and-butter issues, some Johoreans met by The Malaysian Insight said they did not think it would affect support for BN.

A survey by the Merdeka Centre of Opinion Research revealed that 50 per cent of 1,007 respondents in Johor chose cost of living as their top concern.

About 64 per cent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the federal government's handling of the economy.

The feeling of being financially squeezed has influenced their mood on the direction of the country, where 57 per cent of those surveyed said they believed it was headed in the wrong direction.

"Voter sentiments in Johor appear to mirror the national mood in its negative sentiments towards economic pressures as well as conduct of the government," said the Merdeka Centre, which ran the poll in January.

PH is betting that this anger will sway Johoreans who in the past had been staunch BN supporters.

In the 13th general election BN swept 21 out of Johor's 26 parliamentary seats. In the 2008 election, it won all but one of those parliamentary constituencies.

At the state level, BN retained a two-thirds majority in the Johor legislature by winning 38 out of 56 seats in the 2013 polls. But it was also a year in which opposition parties DAP, PKR and PAS made big inroads into the state.

In GE13, DAP won 13 seats, PAS four and PKR one seat.

BN SUPPORT

Retiree-turned taxi driver Alias Mohd Jamil is one of those BN supporters who could have a change of heart during polling day due to how cash strapped he feels now.

"Honestly, ever since I started voting, I've never voted for anyone else except BN. But now that I am being squeezed like this, I am thinking choosing someone else," the 56-year-old said.

"I don't care who becomes the government, as long as they do not burden the people like this," said Mr Alias.

In November, Johor recorded a consumer price index increase of 4.7 per cent, which was higher than the national average of 3.4 per cent. The rate of inflation in Johor was the highest in the country, above even Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

While Johoreans blame the goods and services tax (GST) for increasing costs, they also said the proximity to Singapore also drove up prices.

This is since Singaporeans and Malaysians living and working in the island republic often travelled to Johor to buy groceries, which are cheaper for them due to the ringgit-to-Singapore dollar exchange rate.

Although his purse is getting lighter these days, retired soldier Mohd Hashim Mohd Yusof was not convinced of PH's ability to govern.

Mr Hashim has been forced to work two jobs, as a security guard and Grabcar driver, in order to feed his family of five.

"The government says that the economy is improving, but I do not feel it," Mr Hashim said.

The 56-year-old however disagreed with the notion that PH could be an alternative government.

"Whoever wants to rule must be a Malay."

Johor Baru resident Gopal said BN has set the benchmark when it came to administering the state. THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT