Johor election: Chief minister denies allegation of royal interference in state assembly dissolution

Johor's Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi has vehemently denied accusations that the Johor Palace dictated the dissolution of the state legislative assembly. The caretaker Mentri Besar on June 25 labeled the claim by Puad Zarkashi, a former state assembly speaker, as a misrepresentation of constitutional processes.

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I categorically deny Puad’s claim that I informed him that the Palace had directed the dissolution of the Johor state legislative assembly.

Puad Zarkashi had made these allegations in a statement announcing his resignation from UMNO, citing concerns over what he described as external interference within Johor UMNO's operations. However, Onn Hafiz stated he never informed Puad that the Palace had "ordered" the assembly's dissolution. He emphasized that the dissolution occurred only after obtaining the consent of Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Ibrahim, adhering strictly to the Johor constitution.

Onn Hafiz clarified that the Mentri Besar cannot dissolve the assembly arbitrarily. The process requires adherence to constitutional provisions and final approval from the Royal Institution. He asserted that receiving Royal consent is a constitutional formality, not an indication of political interference or instruction. He deemed it irresponsible to distort this legitimate process, potentially creating a false perception of the Royal Institution meddling in Johor UMNO's political decisions.

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Receiving Royal consent is a constitutional process and does not in any way mean receiving instructions or political interference.

Meanwhile, UMNO secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki suggested Puad's departure stemmed from the party's refusal to nominate his son for the Rengit seat. Asyraf described Puad's claims of external control over UMNO as slanderous and misleading, stating Puad had threatened to leave and attack the party if his son was not considered for candidacy.

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He (Puad) himself wrote to me at length, threatening to leave the party and attack it if the top UMNO leadership did not consider his son as a candidate in Rengit.