JOHOR BARU, March 5 — Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today hit back at Umno leaders for criticising the coalition’s manifesto of offering free 20 cubic metres of water to Johor’s lower-income or B40 group should they win the state election.

Muhyiddin said the leaders lacked empathy for the poor people struggling to make ends meet with the Covid-19 pandemic which started in 2020.

"This is a small offer but it is critical to the people. There are former Johor MBs who belittled this thing when we offered the free 20 cubic meters of water, saying we copied them.

"It is not about copying anyone, it is about understanding, about being caring towards the people.

"Those who commented on it are rich people. Little things mean a lot to the small people,” he told a Dialogue session between him and the Business Associations and Chambers of Commerce in Pulai Springs Resort here today.

Yesterday, former Johor mentri besar and Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin said Muhyiddin needed to explain the cause of the increased water tariff in Johor instead of offering free water to the people of the state.

He said the provision of free water has been implemented since he became the Menteri Besar in 2013.

Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives and Member of the Umno Supreme Council, Tan Sri Noh Omar also said that Muhyiddin’s announcement was just to fish for the votes from the people of Johor.

According to Noh, the free water campaign imitated Selangor under the leadership of Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim during the Pakatan Rakyat administration in 2008.