Bossku Boon Or Bane For Bn In Johor Polls

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JOHOR POLLS | BN has repeatedly been challenged by its rivals to make the likes of ex-prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, who has been convicted of corruption, abuse of power and money laundering, its poster boy for the Johor polls.
BN, however, has stopped short of doing this, with Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi explicitly naming the coalition's menteri besar candidate Hasni Mohammad as the lead campaigner.
This has not stopped Najib from making very public appearances over the past week, including a visit to the popular annual Chingay procession and Foon Yew High School Sri Alam campus which he approved when he was the prime minister in 2013.
In both instances, Najib, who has been rebranding his image with his "Bossku" moniker, was accompanied by Chinese community leaders.
However, Johor DAP chief Liew Chin Tong, in an interview with the Chinese press yesterday, was sceptical about Najib's popularity among the Chinese community.
Liew conceded that Najib has a following among hardcore BN supporters but believes the ex-prime minister could be a turn-off for middle-ground voters in Johor.
Johor, Liew said, is unique because most of the constituencies are mixed seats and few are monoethnic. These seats have sizable middle-ground voters, including Malay centrists, who may not find a leader convicted of corruption appealing.
"Najib is a figure with no middle ground. The hardcore BN supporters will back him but those who dislike him will continue to dislike him," he said.
According to Liew, who is contesting in Perling, the Najib factor is unlikely to tilt the Johor election.
Johor DAP chief Liew Chin TongMiddle-ground voters
For Najib's supporters, Liew said they backed the former prime minister even at the height of his corruption scandal and that was unlikely to change.
He added that Najib could even end up hurting Johor BN which must work to convince middle-ground voters to return the coalition to power.
"They think that many Chinese businesspersons like Najib very much and want to go back to the past.
"I am very sceptical about this because BN would be deceiving itself," he said.
Instead, Liew expects Johor BN to continue promoting Hasni as its leader.
Najib is appealing his 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine at the Federal Court.
Johoreans will go to the polls on March 12. The two-week campaigning period officially kicks off today after the end of the nomination process in the morning.
With the exception of BN, most contenders in the polls, including Perikatan Nasional (PN), Pakatan Harapan and Pejuang are campaigning on an anti-corruption platform.
Despite PN and the opposition campaigning to stop what they claim is BN's corruption, they have been unable to present a united front due to political differences. - Mkini

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