JOHOR BAHRU, May 17 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim warned political partners in national unity government today that he is prepared to call for an early general election if their political "intimidation" and threats persist.

Speaking at the 2026 Pakatan Harapan Convention here, Anwar, who is the PH chairman, directly referenced the ongoing state-level tensions, escalating the situation to a national scale.

“If it is true that they feel it is time for the election to take place in Johor, we will continue in Negeri Sembilan, and perhaps the people can decide for the whole of Malaysia,” he said in his keynote address.

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JOHOR BAHRU, May 17 — DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke has told MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong to direct his complaints regarding the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) to his own coalition partner, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir.

Speaking at the 2026 Pakatan Harapan Convention today, Loke pointed out that since Zambry is from Barisan Nasional (BN) and MCA is a component party, any dissatisfaction should be resolved internally within their coalition.

“If you are not satisfied, please look for the minister from BN, as he determines the conditions and policies,” Loke said.

“He agreed with the Cabinet decision. So, don’t blame Anthony Loke and DAP. We also want to resolve the issue quickly.”

Loke reframed the debate by stressing that the UEC is an issue of educational access, not a political tool or a threat to the national language.

“Today, we have a prime minister who wants to provide fair access to education for all,” he said, adding that the mandate to resolve the long-standing issue came directly from the prime minister.

Addressing concerns within the Malay community, Loke gave his assurance that the status of Bahasa Melayu as the national language is secure and will never be disputed by DAP.

“The Malay community does not need to worry, as Bahasa Melayu will forever be the national language,” he affirmed.

“Today, we want Malaysian children to master various languages. This is the Madani government and our philosophy.”

JOHOR BAHRU, May 17 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) deputy chairman Anthony Loke is proposing a tit-for-tat response to Barisan Nasional’s decision to contest solo in Johor, urging his coalition to act similarly in Negeri Sembilan.

Loke declared that PH should contest all 36 state seats in Negeri Sembilan, in direct retaliation to Johor BN’s announcement yesterday that it would contest all 56 seats in the upcoming state election.

Speaking at the 2026 PH Convention here today, the DAP secretary-general also said the coalition would fight for every constituency here.

“We will also contest all 56 state seats in Johor, and I suggest that PH in Negeri Sembilan do the same and contest all 36 state seats,” he said.

Loke further escalated the challenge by linking the fates of the two state assemblies, issuing a stark warning to BN.

“If the Johor state assembly is dissolved tomorrow, we will also dissolve the Negeri

Sembilan state assembly tomorrow,” he declared.

Loke’s remarks indicate the deterioration in ties between PH and BN, which are nominally allies at the federal level where both govern as part of a national unity government.

Yesterday, Johor BN announced that it will contest all 56 seats in the coming state election, effectively ruling out any electoral cooperation with PH or Perikatan Nasional (PN).

JOHOR BAHRU, May 17 — Johor Pakatan Harapan (PH) today announced that it will contest in all 56 state constituencies in the upcoming polls, following Barisan Nasional’s (BN) announcement yesterday.

Johor PH chief Aminolhuda Hassan said the decision was made after BN Johor announced that they would contest in all state seats on their own.

He said Johor PH will not back down on this decision and dismissed any cooperation with BN for the state polls.

“Johor BN lost in the 2018 election and it is possible that this can happen again in the upcoming state election,” he said when speaking at the 2026 PH Convention held at the Persada Johor International Convention Centre here today.

Yesterday, Johor BN confirmed it would contest all 56 seats in the coming state election, effectively ruling out any electoral cooperation with PH Perikatan Nasional (PN) or even Muda.

Johor BN chief and state menteri besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi was reported saying that the decision was made after taking into account the views of Johoreans as well as the grassroots leadership of Umno and the state BN.

Aminolhuda, who is Johor Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) chief, also criticised the recent appointment of five non-elected state assemblymen, saying it was for BN to remain in power.

He claimed that Johor BN was afraid of losing the people’s support, especially in the urban areas of the state.

“There are seven state constituencies in Johor with more than 100,000 voters where the state government should have carried out an electoral redelineation.

“If the redelineation is done, the urban areas will immediately see an increase of voters who are largely in favour of PH,” he said.

Aminolhuda pointed out that Johor is still a state strongly influenced by PH as the coalition has secured 14 parliamentary seats out of 26 in the state.

On May 7, the Johor state legislative assembly approved a constitutional amendment Bill on the appointment of five non-elected assemblymen.

The Bill had received a two-thirds vote involving 40 out of 56 assemblymen, all of whom are from the government bloc.

JOHOR BAHRU, May 17 — Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow today affirmed that the political alliance between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) in his state remains “strong and stable,” drawing a sharp contrast with the political developments in Johor.

Speaking at the 2026 PH Convention here today, Chow insisted that Penang has prioritised political stability to safeguard the state’s future for its people, investors, and youth.

“It is very important to ensure that the cooperation between the parties in the government can be strengthened,” he said.

“The people at present want stability, investors want stability, and young people looking for jobs and a future also want stability.”

Chow, who also serves as the Penang PH chairman, explained his governance style, saying that he has opted to make responsible, albeit sometimes unpopular, decisions over populist moves to protect the state’s long-term interests.

“I chose to continue with important policies and decisions in order to maintain the state's financial position and infrastructure development for the future of Penang despite being aware that some decisions may cause dissatisfaction,” he said.

Chow’s remarks come just a day after Johor BN chairman and Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi announced that his coalition will contest all 56 state seats solo in the next election.

The move effectively ends any potential electoral pact with PH in the state.

Johor is not a coalition government and instead has been governed alone by BN since the 2022 state election.

PH is part of the “balancing force”, the term Johor uses for what is effectively the state’s opposition.

JOHOR BAHRU, May 16 — The Pakatan Harapan convention held here tomorrow is expected to address political cooperation between the coalition and Barisan Nasional (BN) for the coming state and general elections,” said 2026 PH Convention organising director Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.

He said this includes the political direction for the coming Johor and Malaka state election, leading up to the general election (GE16).

“This is also to ensure that the relationship at the federal level remains intact as the unity government.

“We still have a lot to do. At present, the country is facing a global supply crisis and political stability at the federal level is important,” he told reporters after inspecting the preparations for the 2026 PH Convention at the Persada International Convention Centre here today.

Fahmi, who is also the PH communications director and PKR information chief, said upholding the unity government is important as in the recent royal crisis in Negeri Sembilan.

He added that the Negeri Sembilan crisis was managed in an orderly, structured and non-detrimental way with the state’s Umno remaining supportive of the unity government despite having differences of opinion.

“So, I believe that PH will continue to work towards what the coalition agreed on and signed with BN when forming the unity government,” he said.

On the preparation for tomorrow’s convention, the communications minister said 5,000 attendees are expected to be present.

He said this included PKR, DAP and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) members from all over the country, including Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.

“The convention is expected to start as early as 7.30am tomorrow with the registration session.

“There will be speeches by key coalition leaders, including a message from PH chairman and prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,” he said, adding that Anwar is expected to touch on the direction of PH in facing the Johor and Melaka state elections, in addition to preparations for GE16.

JOHOR BAHRU, May 16 — Johor Barisan Nasional (BN) today confirmed it will contest all 56 seats in the next state election, effectively ruling out any electoral cooperation with Pakatan Harapan (PH), Perikatan Nasional (PN) or Muda.

Johor BN chairman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the decision was made after discussions with the coalition’s component party leadership.

“With a sense of conviction and responsibility, Johor BN will contest in all 56 state constituencies in the upcoming state election.

“For Umno and Johor BN, the decision to contest in all 56 state seats is a clear offer to the people that we are prepared to continue to form a stable, strong government.

“The decision will fully serve the state’s development and the well-being of Johoreans,” he said in a statement today.

Onn Hafiz, who is also the Johor menteri besar and state Umno chief, said the coalition had taken into account the views and expectations of Johoreans as well as feedback from Umno and BN grassroots leaders.

The announcement appears to end speculation over possible seat-sharing arrangements or political cooperation between Johor BN and other coalitions ahead of the state polls.

In the 2022 Johor election, BN won 40 of the 56 state seats, dominated by Umno victories.

PH secured 12 seats, of which 10 were won by DAP and one each by PKR and Amanah.

PN won three seats through Bersatu and PAS, while Muda captured one seat.

JOHOR BAHRU, May 16 — PKR secretary-general Datuk Fuziah Salleh today distanced the government from Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim’s call for two ministers to resign over issues linked to the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).

She said Hassan’s remarks were his personal views and did not represent the government’s position.

“The decision to allow Chinese Private Secondary Schools graduates or UEC holders to follow certain programmes at public higher education institutions was made with clear conditions, including having SPM qualifications and a pass in Bahasa Melayu and history subjects,” she told reporters after attending a PKR programme at a hotel here.

Fuziah said the issue was not new, noting that previous administrations had also imposed similar conditions to allow UEC holders to pursue studies at public higher education institutions.

“This matter should not be made into a tirade because it is clear and has also been implemented before,” she said.

Yesterday, Hassan called on Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir to resign, claiming they had failed to defend the national education policy involving public universities.

The Higher Education Ministry had earlier announced that graduates from tahfiz schools, Chinese independent secondary schools and other institutions outside the national education system would be allowed to pursue selected programmes at public higher education institutions, subject to conditions.

The move followed a Cabinet decision on admission pathways for students outside the national education system into public higher education institutions.