Former education minister Maszlee wins Puteri Wangsa, emerges lone PKR success in Johor state election

JOHOR BAHRU, July 12 — Former education minister Dr Maszlee Malik of Pakatan Harapan (PH) won the Puteri Wangsa state seat in the 16th Johor state election yesterday.

According to the official results announced by the Election Commission (EC), Maszlee secured 41,821 votes, winning the seat with a majority of 5,744 votes.

He defeated four other candidates — Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Teow Chia Ling, Nicholas Paul Vincent of Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama), Rashifa Aljunied of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda), and independent candidate Wang Wee Seong.

In the 2022 Johor state election, the Puteri Wangsa seat was won by Muda’s Amira Aisya Abd Aziz with a majority of 7,114 votes. However, she did not defend the seat in this election, making way for Rashifa.

Meanwhile, in a Facebook post, Maszlee described his win as a great responsibility that he would carry out with full commitment.

Maszlee, who was the only one among PKR’s 20 candidates to win a seat in the election, said the victory was not something to be celebrated but a manifestation of the people’s trust that must be honoured with humility.

“Remaining the only PKR representative to win a seat in this election is not a matter of pride, but a manifestation of the people’s trust that I must uphold with great humility,” he said.

He also expressed appreciation to PKR president and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, as well as the party’s leadership at all levels, for their support, guidance and confidence throughout the election campaign.

Maszlee also thanked the party’s media team and digital machinery, describing them as instrumental in ensuring the party’s message and narrative reached the people during the campaign period.

He also conveyed his gratitude to the voters of Puteri Wangsa for placing their trust in him to represent them in the state assembly. — Bernama