Ethnic rifts flare in Malaysia as Johor polls threaten stability of Anwar’s unity coalition

ethnic rifts flare in Malaysia as Johor-polls" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="152584" data-entity-type="event">Johor polls threaten stability of Anwar’s unity coalitionThe refusal to work with DAP could be a defensive move to shore up BN’s Malay base in Johor ahead of the July 11 polls, analysts say3-MIN READ3-MIN1ListenPublished: 8:53pm, 25 Jun 2026Updated: 8:53pm, 25 Jun 2026Fissures along ethnic lines are being opened ahead of the Johor state election in Malaysia next month, as the Malay-nationalist Barisan Nasional (BN) moves to box in the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP), and political imperatives pit key government coalition members against each other.Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim helms an uneasy coalition of erstwhile political rivals. He is seeking to keep his Pakatan Harapan unity government – with the DAP as a core member – on an even keel until national elections due in 2028.But state polls threaten cleavages within that government, including in southernmost Johor, where elections set for July 11 have already seen ethnic divisions emerge as the safest vote-getter.Select VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x