Kuala lumpur: Pakatan Harapan (PH) will unveil its manifesto for the 16th Johor state election soon after receiving final endorsement from the coalition's top leadership on Monday. PH secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the party's manifesto committee has finalised the draft, which now only requires final approval at the coalition's leadership meeting.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Saifuddin emphasized that the manifesto would adopt a more realistic, practical, and people-centric approach than previous editions, which were longer and more idealistic. Saifuddin mentioned, "This time, we will present a manifesto framework that is realistic, tangible, and reasonable. We will announce it very soon, subject to final endorsement on Monday," during a press conference after visiting PH candidates contesting several seats in Johor as part of the coalition's campaign efforts.
The candidates highlighted by Saifuddin include Arthur Chiong Sen Sern (Bukit Batu), Mohd Syafwan Ani (Bukit Permai), Wong Bor Yang (Senai), Yeo Tung Siong (Pekan Nanas), Haniff @ Ghazali Hosman (Pulai Sebatang), Guna Balakrishnan (Layang-Layang), and Nor Hafiz Roslan (Machap). Saifuddin stated that the manifesto would cover a wide range of priorities, such as ensuring economic stability and prosperity, safeguarding people's welfare, strengthening political stability, promoting good governance, increasing state revenue, and ensuring equitable development across Johor.
Saifuddin also noted that the coalition would champion performance-based politics while rejecting identity politics, which he argued only fuels tension and distrust within society. He pointed out that PH does not view straight fights in the Johor election as automatically favoring any party, stressing that each constituency must be assessed based on local dynamics. He said that although 14 seats would see straight contests, Malaysian elections remain largely constituency-based.
"We have to look at the ethnic composition, local issues, the strengths of individual candidates, and their ability to address the people's concerns," Saifuddin explained. He added that the straight fights were largely due to Perikatan Nasional's (PN) decision not to contest every seat, but cautioned against assuming that votes would automatically transfer to any particular party. He mentioned that the PKR and PH election committees would immediately analyze each constituency to formulate the most suitable campaign strategies.
Meanwhile, PKR vice-president Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari highlighted one of the coalition's key campaign issues would be narrowing the development gap between Johor's districts. Despite the state's rapid growth, some areas continue to face challenges in income levels, infrastructure, and living standards. Polling for the Johor state election is set for July 11, with early voting on July 7.