Puad’s resignation sparks déjà vu over Johor Umno autonomy

PETALING JAYA: Puad Zarkashi’s resignation from Umno has reignited the debate on the party’s autonomy in Johor, with analysts pointing to lingering tensions since Barisan Nasional’s two‑thirds victory in the 2022 state election.

Although then Johor Umno chief Hasni Mohammad fronted Barisan Nasional as its “poster boy” throughout the campaign, Onn Hafiz Ghazi ultimately received royal assent and was sworn in as the state’s new menteri besar.

On Thursday, Puad announced his departure from Umno, saying the party was no longer free to make its own decisions, including on the dissolution of the Johor state assembly — a claim Onn Hafiz immediately denied.

In his rebuttal, the state Umno chief said he had sought an audience with Johor regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim to obtain royal assent to the assembly’s dissolution in accordance with the state’s constitution.

Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri of Global Asia Consulting said Puad’s resignation has once again highlighted the delicate boundary between party autonomy and the constitutional monarchy’s role.

“We must be able to distinguish between a legitimate constitutional process and the perception that a party is excessively constrained.

“A party that obtains a mandate needs room to determine policy and the direction of the administration, while the royal institution has a constitutional role as a stabilising check-and-balance,” he told FMT.

Reflecting on the events that preceded Onn Hafiz’s appointment in 2022, Zaharuddin said the episode showed that a party’s choice of menteri besar when forming a state government was not necessarily final.

“That episode confirmed that an electoral mandate does not automatically guarantee absolute executive authority without taking royal assent into account,” he said.

However, Zaharuddin said this did not in itself prove that there had been interference in party politics.

“Advice from the palace should be seen as a moral and social compass, not partisan political interference,” he said.

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said the episode reflected the unique relationship between the palace and politics in Johor, as well as the way the state Umno leadership managed the transition without triggering a bigger dispute.

“It was talked about at the time, one person was the poster boy, but another became menteri besar,” he said, adding that the dynamic was not comparable with the political situation in other states.

“When it comes to the palace’s influence on politics, Johor is very unique,” he said.

However, Azmi said Puad’s decision to leave Umno was unlikely to gain broad support or affect the party’s momentum heading into the Johor state election on July 11.

“This is Puad’s personal issue. It will not receive support from other Umno members, nor will it disrupt Umno’s momentum,” he said.