ABSTRACT
Under Malaysia’s current federated system, the expression bangsa Johor (“the nation of Johor”), a state-level nationalism espoused by its people that centred around a Johorean identity, suggested a sense of common belonging. However, coming into General Election 14, Johor attracted significant interest because of its billing as a potential battleground state among old and new Malay-based parties comprising prominent Johoreans who once were staunch allies. This feuding is the focus of this study, specifically to understand its repercussions on the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). Johor, after all, had always been an UMNO stronghold.
Johor was one state that the newly-formed Pakatan Harapan opposition coalition aimed to capture, precisely because it had consistently been an UMNO stronghold. The Democratic Action Party (DAP), a key PH member, fielded its most prominent politicians in Johor, while former UMNO leaders hoped to secure much support due to serious factional problems in the ruling party. This study explores why ex-Chief Minister Muhiyddin Yassin, along with former Prime Minister Mahathir, and their alliance with DAP proved effective in garnering sufficient support to undermine UMNO’s control of Johor.
