Former Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik accepted an invitation to debate Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi ahead of the Johor state election. Maszlee is the Pakatan Harapan candidate for the Puteri Wangsa seat in the upcoming vote [1, 2, 3].
Maszlee said he accepted the debate invitation "with all humility and respect, and guided by democratic values and principles," adding that the dialogue could be a platform to educate the public and promote mature politics [1]. He explained that he welcomed the debate out of respect for democracy and belief that such exchanges foster political maturity among the electorate [1, 2, 3].
The debate proposal was initiated by social media influencer Muhamad Harris Nasril and shared on the Redaksi.com Facebook page [1, 2, 3].
Pakatan Harapan announced a total of 56 candidates for the Johor state election. These included 20 candidates from the People's Justice Party (PKR), 19 from the National Trust Party (Amanah), and 17 from the Democratic Action Party (DAP) [1, 2, 3].
The Election Commission fixed June 27, 2026, as nomination day for all candidates, with early voting scheduled for July 7 and polling day set for July 11 [1, 2, 3].
The Johor election campaign will intensify as nomination day approaches in four days. Maszlee’s acceptance sets the stage for a high-profile debate with Onn Hafiz before voters head to the polls.
