Who'll be in Johor line-up?, NEW STRAITS TIMES-MANAGEMENT TIMES.

(From Worldsources (English))

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THE jostling has started for newly delineated seats in Johor, where the formidable Barisan Nasional will have to contend with the difficulties that come with success. SHAHRUM SAYUTHI writes.

THE big question in Johor as the general election looms is not about who's going to win but who will make the Barisan Nasional candidate line- up.

To most, the outcome of the election is a foregone conclusion, with the BN almost certain to make yet another clean sweep without so much as breaking a sweat. Johor is, after all, a traditionally safe State for the BN. There's a joke going around that even if the BN were to field a cat as its candidate in any seat, the cat will win.

It is this supreme confidence and formidability of the ruling party that is causing a scramble among the far-too-many hopefuls. But while party leaders are keeping matters on seat nominations close to their chests, there are leaks here and there. Sometimes names are deliberately bandied to test the waters.

It proved too hard, for instance, to keep a lid on the intense lobbying for the additional six parliamentary and 16 state seats in Johor following the latest Election Commission redelineation exercise. The State now has 26 parliamentary and 56 state seats.