Johor polls: Maszlee, Ab Mutalip in four-cornered fight in Layang-Layang

Maszlee of PKR and Ab Mutalip of Barisan Nasional (BN) are battling it out with two new faces - Perikatan Nasional's (PN) K. Alagathiran, who is a civil contractor, and activist Ahmad Shafiq Othaman of Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang).

"The first (candidate) is Dr Maszlee Malik of PKR, second Alagathiran of PN, third Datuk Ab Mutalip of BN and fourth Ahmad Shafiq of Pejuang," returning officer Abdul Hakim Abd Manap said when announcing the candidates at the Dewan Muafakat Majlis Daerah Simpang Renggam nomination centre here today.

Speaking to reporters after the announcement, both Maszlee and Ab Mutalip welcomed the four-cornered contest, saying it reflected a healthy democratic system.

Asked on his plan for the constituency if elected, Maszlee, a former education minister, said he was determined to help make Johor an education hub offering the best education.

Ab Mutalip, the Layang-Layang assemblyman from 2013 to 2018, said he would champion issues such as on housing which he did before BN was defeated at the state and federal levels in the 14th general election (GE14).

"To ensure continued rapid economic growth for Simpang Renggam, the housing sector needs to be taken care of to help the growth of other industries," he said.

In GE14, BN's Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi won Layang-Layang with a majority of 364 votes, beating M. Murugan of Pakatan Harapan and Mohd Jubri Selamat (PAS).

Early voting for the Johor election is on March 8 while polling is on March 12.