COMMENTARY, March 15 — We have certainly read plenty about political careers that have been cut short by extramarital affairs or misconduct, but usually never about a politician, who less than 48 hours ago, led his party to a resounding victory and was given a strong mandate to lead in a state election.

In Johor, such a scenario looks set to take place after Barisan Nasional (BN) mentri besar-designate Datuk Hasni Mohammad signalled that he will pass on the all-important post to someone younger.

In a statement issued last night, the 62-year-old Hasni (he turns 63 on March 27) conceded that he will not head the new state government but will instead give way to a younger candidate.

His statement also hinted that he was a victim of political intrigue that was beyond his power. Surprising for a survivor of numerous political turmoils and upheavals over the years.

Unexpected turn of events

As a Johor leader, Hasni has always been conscious about the state’s multiracial demographic. Under his stewardship, he has been credited with steering Johor BN to reject divisive racial politicking, while ensuring that the coalition anchored by Umno remains inclusive and pluralistic.

An Umno insider close to Hasni’s administration said the turn of events was not only unexpected but a disappointment for all within the party and a loss for Johoreans.

“Unbelievable, the MB who called for the dissolution of the Johor state assembly, paving the way for a state election and later giving BN a landslide victory, is not an MB anymore.

“By tomorrow, we would all know if there will be a new Johor mentri besar besides Datuk Hasni,” the Umno insider told Malay Mail late last night. 

Hailed as Johor BN’s “Poster Boy”, Hasni had led the coalition to a spectacular super-majority win after securing 40 out of 56 state seats in last Saturday’s state election.

He had envisioned Johor BN would take the lead on the national stage, ultimately being a model for the coalition’s return as a relevant political force.

However, Hasni's expected appointment as Johor mentri besar yesterday did not take place. Rumours circulated that he was not named despite the clamour that he would return to the post after the election.

By yesterday evening, party insiders at the Johor Mentri Besar’s official residence in Saujana here described the embattled Johor Umno chief as being emotionally withdrawn and that he had accepted his fate.

This was unlike the Hasni who steered Johor throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and had made the bold move to call for a snap state election, despite the risks.

Within Johor Umno, many leaders were rattled and questioned how to explain to the people who voted for Hasni that he would not be MB now.

Even veteran Umno leader Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad openly questioned the unexpected decision on his Facebook page last night, saying he was "ashamed" of his party. 

A dedicated Umno man

Hasni, who rose through Umno’s ranks to be the Johor mentri besar, hails from the semi-urban sub-district of Pengkalan Raja in Pekan Nanas which is under the geater parliamentary constituency of Tanjung Piai (it used to be under the Pontian parliamentary constituency).

The articulate four-term Benut assemblyman and former Pontian MP is known for his pleasant demeanor and well liked from both backbenchers within his own BN coalition, as well as the Opposition.

The same Umno insider described Hasni’s gentlemanly conduct as as his strong point for many years.

“Datuk Hasni is known to avoid personal conflict, instead preferring to use facts to argue his point. He is a fair person without any incriminating scandals to his name. 

“So much so, he is also respected by some of his political rivals,” said the insider.

This was evident during the recent campaign in the running-up to the state polls, where Opposition and rival politicians never directly criticised Hasni. They instead took it out on BN’s national leaders such Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The trained engineer has been described by his peers as also having an approachable and humble persona. Part of this was due to him being the son of a community leader and village head in Pekan Nanas.

His strong sense of loyalty to Umno was also from being an active Youth wing member and also his family’s support for the Malay nationalist party in the past. 

Such qualities made Hasni standout even when he returned to Malaysia after furthering his engineering degree at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in the United States during the 1980s.

Hasni, who was the Johor Opposition Leader when the federal and state government was under Pakatan Harapan (PH) in 2018, had managed to uphold Umno even after several of the party’s elected representatives in Johor defected to rival Malay party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).

During his stint in the Opposition bloc, he pushed for political reforms and better allocation from PH to his fellow BN assemblyman in the Johor state assembly.

Tanjung Piai, first step to reclaim Johor

Hasni’s big break came the following year in the Tanjung Piai parliamentary by-election in November 2019 where as the election director, he led BN to victory with a stunning majority over PH.

In the by-election, MCA’s Datuk Seri Wee Jeck Seng secured a 25,466 majority win over the then ruling PH coalition, while the Bersatu rival only polled 10,380 votes.

Many within BN’s top leadership saw Hasni’s capabilities and credited his efforts for the Tanjung Piai by-election win. 

His efforts were instrumental in what he later termed as the “Johor Way”, where the state’s BN would champion for Johoreans based upon multiracialism and consensus building across races.

First stint as Johor MB

Following the national political maneuvering, called the Sheraton Move that led to the formation of a new government under Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in March 2020, Hasni was then appointed to the post of Johor mentri besar.

From then on, his administration faced challenges brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, starting with a nationwide lockdown, border closure as well as various restrictions.

Despite the uphill task, Hasni and his administration managed Johor well and introduced a stimulus package with several noted reforms. Among them is the increase of allocation for all assemblymen, irrespective of their political affiliation.

He was also among the few politicians that understood the need to boost south Johor’s economy. He noted that as long as the Johor-Singapore border closures are in place, Johor Baru and its surrounding areas will not be viable for business.

Johor polls, a test of BN’s return 

Last year, after Umno ousted Muhyiddin and installed Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as prime minister, Hasni saw a need for BN to establish a stable state government on its own.

Deputy Johor Umno chief Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the results favouring BN after the Melaka state election in November last year was a turning point.

“Hasni and the state leadership saw a real need to have a state election in order for BN to govern the state well.

“The decision was made after the death of former mentri besar and Bersatu assemblyman, the late Datuk Osman Sapian in December last year,” Nur Jazlan told Malay Mail.

Despite having an “understanding” with the Opposition PH state assemblymen as well as Perikatan Nasional (PN)-aligned Bersatu in the state administration, Hasni saw the need not to be bogged down by other political parties.

Hasni, who is the Johor Umno chief, together with Nur Jazlan and top Umno leaders then commissioned a study that showed that BN stood a good chance of winning if a snap state election is held.

Following that, Nur Jazlan and BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also the Umno president, worked tirelessly behind the scenes to plan a state election.

After the dissolution of the Johor state assembly in January, Hasni led the state election campaign with a stability theme as well as his “Ikhtiar BN Johor” pledges comprising economic growth, people’s wellbeing, the youth of Johor, governance with integrity and political reforms.

The pledges hit a note with Johoreans for being realistic and the result was last Saturday’s win after the ruling coalition secured 40 out of the 56 state seats.

For Hasni and the entire BN leadership, It was above expectations as the Umno-led coalition consisting of both MCA and MIC, had initially targeted to secure about 34 to 36 seats at most.

A new Johor MB?

Late last night, social media was abuzz about the new Johor mentri besar candidate, who some claimed was newly-elected incoming Machap assemblyman Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.

Onn Hafiz is the great-grandson of Datuk Sir Onn Jaafar, Umno’s founding member and first president. The 44-year-old career politician is also the nephew of Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

Speculation and rumours also point to Onn Hafiz being the preferred choice of the Johor Palace.

Prior to the state election, the young politician’s name has also emerged as being a potential Johor mentri besar, taking into consideration of his family’s illustrious political heritage.

The ‘Johor Way’

Today, we should know who the new Johor mentri besar will be; he will also most probably be sworn in on the same day.

It may be difficult to describe Hasni’s fate as due to political interference, or rather the lack of.

What is certain is that in such testing times, Umno’s duty is to uphold and defend Hasni for it was him that did the same for the party.

He championed and turned Umno in Johor around when the party was at its lowest point in history back in 2018.

Based on BN’s recent win, Hasni’s plan was for Johor to have an all-inclusive state government that will represent the various ethnicities and their interests.

Despite his efforts, he may not lead it.

However, Hasni’s vision for all Johoreans to embrace the “Johor Way” in political discourse will hopefully live on.