Johor DAP chairman Teo Nie Ching on June 17 publicly condemned the manipulation of Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate posters ahead of the Johor state election, accusing certain parties of portraying potential candidates as Muslim women with improperly worn headscarves to instil fear among non-Malay voters, especially the Chinese community [1, 2, 3].
Teo said the doctored images aimed to discourage support for PH by exploiting religious sensitivities. She stressed that DAP respects all religions and that the headscarf, a symbol of Muslim women's attire, "should never be trivialised." She called the altering of these posters a "despicable act that must be rejected" and criticized it as reflecting negative intentions toward DAP and disregard for women [1].
Highlighting the divisive intent, Teo urged voters of all races to reject such smear tactics and choose “harmony, unity and peace” instead [2].
The Johor State Legislative Assembly was dissolved on June 1. Johor has 56 state seats, previously held by Barisan Nasional (40), Pakatan Harapan (12), Perikatan Nasional (3), and Muda (1) [1, 2, 3]. The nomination day for the upcoming election is scheduled for June 27, with polling day set for July 11 [1, 2, 3].
Teo’s statement comes as parties prepare for a competitive state election where race and religion remain sensitive issues. The warning from DAP’s Johor chairman highlights concerns about the use of manipulated images to influence voter sentiment in the final weeks before nomination.
Nomination day on June 27 will confirm the official PH candidates running amid these tensions, and Johorans go to the polls on July 11 to elect the new state assembly.
