KUALA LUMPUR (June 4): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim shrugged off concerns over the looming Johor state elections, saying that his focus remains on governing Malaysia.

“Do I look worried? I am focusing on my job,” he said when asked on the sidelines of an energy transition conference whether he was concerned that the upcoming election could distract the government. “We have our priorities,” he said before leaving shortly.

Anwar’s response comes on the heels of the dissolution of the Johor state assembly on June 1, paving the way for a state election. Following the dissolution, elections must be called within 60 days at the discretion of the Election Commission.

The remarks also comes as his own PKR party suffered high-profile defections led by Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli and his former Cabinet colleague Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who both quit to take over Parti Bersama Malaysia.

In April, Anwar had said that the Dewan Rakyat is unlikely to be dissolved in the near future for the 16th general election (GE16) as the government focuses on economic and security challenges. The next national election is due by February 2028.

Anwar, who is also chairman of Pakatan Harapan, took power in November 2022 after the general election resulted in Malaysia's first hung Parliament. He subsequently formed a coalition government with former rival Barisan Nasional and several other parties.

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