JOHOR BARU: It was as if the war siren had been sounded with Johor suddenly waking up to a hive of activity after two days of a quiet and joyful Chinese New Year celebration.

       The state has turned lively again with various political activities, although the date for the state election has not been set yet.

       The Election Commission is scheduled to meet only on Wednesday to decide on the dates for the election, but political parties are seen to have started their campaigns to win the hearts of Johor voters.

       Some party leaders said it was too long to wait for the EC to set a date because the state assembly was dissolved on Jan 22, more than two weeks ago.

       Many leaders from component parties in Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan, as well as new parties such as the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) and Parti Warisan, have been on the ground since last Friday by organising various events.

       Barisan started with its western region election machinery in Iskandar Puteri. It was attended by several top leaders from Umno, MCA and MIC, including coalition chairman and Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

       The coalition is also scheduled to launch its election machinery in four more zones in the next two weeks, beginning with the northern zone at the Seri Pekembar Complex in Pagoh last night.

       Umno information chief Shahril Sufian Hamdan, when asked about the spirited display by political parties even though the EC had not set a date for the election yet, said it reflected how vital the Johor state election is.

       “Although the date has not been announced and we are still not clear yet on the standard operating procedure, we are already on the ground,” he said. — Bernama