JOHOR BAHRU, June 2 — The Johor Barisan Nasional (BN) Convention, scheduled for June 14, may be brought forward, according to its secretary Datuk Abdul Halim Suleiman.

He said the possibility arises from recent political developments in the state, particularly following the dissolution of the Johor State Legislative Assembly yesterday.

“We may change the date to an earlier one, before June 14,” he said briefly when contacted by Bernama.

Yesterday, Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi announced the dissolution of the Johor State Legislative Assembly after obtaining the consent of Regent of Johor Tunku Mahkota Ismail, paving the way for a state election.

Previously, Onn Hafiz, who is also Johor BN chairman, was reported as saying that the convention would serve as a key platform to strengthen the coalition’s resolve and unity, as well as fine-tune the machinery’s preparations for the state election.

BN will contest all 56 state seats in the 16th Johor state election. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — A special meeting to discuss matters related to the 16th Johor state election will be held on June 12, according to the Election Commission (EC).

EC secretary Datuk Khairul Shahril Idrus said the commission had received notification from Johor State Assembly Speaker Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi regarding the dissolution of the Johor State Legislative Assembly on June 2, as provided under Clause 23(2), Part Two of the Johor Constitution 1895.

“Under Clause 23(4), Part Two of the Johor Constitution 1895, a state election must be held within 60 days from the date of the dissolution of the State Assembly.

“The special meeting, to be chaired by EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun, will discuss key dates for the 16th Johor state election, including the issuance of the election writ, nomination day, polling day, the electoral roll to be used, and other preparations for the conduct of the election,” he said in a statement today.

He added that a press conference would be held immediately after the special meeting.

The Johor State Legislative Assembly was dissolved on Monday after receiving the consent of Johor Regent Tunku Mahkota Ismail.

In a separate statement, Khairul Shahril said applications for domestic and overseas postal voting for the 16th Johor state election have opened online today via the MySPR portal at https://myspr.spr.gov.my

The facility is available to all postal voting categories: Category 1A (police officers, military personnel, election workers, EC members and officers, and media personnel), Category 1B (Malaysian citizens residing overseas), and Category 1C (agencies and organisations).

“All postal vote applications must be submitted online. Eligible voters who wish to vote by post must register for, or already have, a MySPR account before applying,” he said.

He added that the closing date for postal vote applications for all categories would be announced later.

For enquiries or further information, the public may contact the EC at 03-8892 7080 or email upup@spr.gov.my — Bernama

KOTA TINGGI, June 2 — Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties should consider fielding young and new faces as candidates in the upcoming Johor state election, particularly in constituencies with a high percentage of young voters, Umno Information Chief Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said.

The move would not only have a positive impact on BN but would also create opportunities for a new generation of leaders to emerge as the party’s future leadership through the state legislative assembly, she added.

“We have to accept the reality that many young people are now voters. Even in my constituency, about 40 per cent of the electorate are young voters. My hope is that this will be given emphasis,” she told a press conference after launching the Madani Adopted Village Programme in Kampung Tanjung Serindit here today.

She pointed out that the final decision on candidate selection rests entirely with the state BN leadership and political bureau.

At the same time, Azalina, who is also Pengerang MP, expressed hope that the two incumbent state assemblymen under her parliamentary constituency — Aznan Tamin (Tanjung Surat) and Fauziah Misri (Penawar) — would be retained as candidates for this election, and that the election would proceed in the spirit of democracy, free from violence or any untoward incidents.

On the dissolution of the Johor State Legislative Assembly, Azalina said the state government under Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi had the right to dissolve the assembly with the consent of the Johor Palace.

According to her, the decision was made following continued positive support from the people of Johor for the state government’s leadership under BN.

“Perhaps with what has happened, such as the Umno 80th Anniversary Celebration at Istana Besar Johor and Johor Darul Ta’zim’s 12th Super League title victory, I see a great deal of positive support from the people of Johor towards the state government’s leadership. Maybe these are among the factors,” she said.

Yesterday, Onn Hafiz announced the dissolution of the Johor State Legislative Assembly with effect from June 1 after receiving the consent of Johor Regent, Tunku Mahkota Ismail. — Bernama

KANGAR, June 3 — The Perlis state government must explore innovative approaches suited to local potential to address increasingly complex economic challenges, said the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail.

Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin said this includes strengthening high-value sectors, attracting strategic investments, and leveraging geographical advantages as well as existing resources.

His Royal Highness said the approaches adopted should be based on best practices that have proven successful, whether domestically or internationally, while taking into account the state’s specific context.

“Focus should be given to high-impact initiatives capable of generating long-term returns, rather than short-term programmes that offer limited value to the state’s economy,” he said in his royal address at the opening of the fourth term of the Perlis State Legislative Assembly sitting at Kompleks Seri Putra here today.

Also in attendance was the Raja Perempuan of Perlis, Tuanku Tengku Fauziah Tengku Abdul Rashid.

The Raja Muda of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail, and the Raja Puan Muda of Perlis, Tuanku Dr Hajah Lailatul Shahreen Akashah Khalil, were also present.

Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin also emphasised the importance of efforts to generate state revenue and to explore new, more sustainable and resilient sources of income.

Meanwhile, His Royal Highness stressed that all expenditure must be carried out prudently, transparently and with integrity, while delivering maximum returns to the people in the implementation of development projects in Perlis.

“I am of the view that true progress is not measured solely by figures, but by the level of well-being genuinely experienced by all segments of society. Therefore, every policy and initiative must be carefully designed, with a focus on improving the quality of life of the people in a comprehensive, inclusive and sustainable manner.

Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin also expressed hope that the state government will continue to maintain good relations with the federal government to ensure the well-being of the state. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — The Election Commission (EC) will hold a special meeting on June 12 to discuss the 16th Negeri Sembilan state election.

EC secretary Datuk Khairul Shahril Idrus said the meeting, which coincides with the 16th Johor state election special meeting, will be held following the dissolution of the 15th Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly last Friday.

He said the meeting would be chaired by EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun who would discuss important dates for the Negeri Sembilan state election.

“Among them are the date of the writ of election, nomination day, polling day, electoral roll to be used and other preparations to carry out the election,” he said in a statement today.

Khairul Shahril said a press conference would be held immediately after the special meeting.

The 36-seat Negeri Sembilan assembly was officially dissolved last Friday to pave the way for the election. — Bernama 

PETALING JAYA, June 6 — Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan met with the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, last week to provide clarification on federal allocations and assistance channelled to the state.

He said the audience enabled him to give a comprehensive briefing covering federal allocations to Pahang, which have shown yearly increases, as well as focusing on priority projects proposed by the state government.

“From the briefing, His Royal Highness was able to see that there is indeed a commitment from the federal government to assist states, including Pahang, through the implementation of development projects, as well as allocations for the state, which have been increasing consistently year by year.

“There were several other proposals expressed by His Royal Highness, and we will review them further. If there is room to improve existing processes, we will work on it,” he told reporters after attending the Micro Credit Outreach Programme here today.

The programme was also attended by Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Johan Mahmood Merican, along with strategic partners including Bank Simpanan Nasional, Agrobank, Bank Rakyat, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, Companies Commission of Malaysia, Tekun Nasional, the Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency and Majlis Amanah Rakyat.

Amir Hamzah said that during the meeting he explained that assistance to the people of Pahang is not only channelled through the state government, but also includes various direct federal initiatives such as the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA).

He added that the federal government’s commitment to Pahang’s development is clearly demonstrated through the implementation of strategic projects on the East Coast, including the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), which is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

He said the high-impact project will serve as a catalyst to attract new investments, thereby boosting infrastructure development and industrial areas.

“Once the ECRL is completed, we will also focus on developing industrial zones along the East Coast. Infrastructure has been built, and we want to ensure more new industries can be brought into the area.

“Besides that, we are also looking at how supporting infrastructure can be further improved so that investors can more easily utilise the facilities provided,” he said.

On May 8, the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, questioned federal allocations to the state while opening the First Meeting of the Fifth Session of the 15th Pahang State Legislative Assembly.

Following that, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim instructed Amir Hamzah to provide a comprehensive explanation to be presented to His Royal Highness. — Bernama