Kuala Lampur, July 12 -- The outcome of the Johor state election should not be interpreted as the collapse of Pakatan Harapan (PH), nor should it be viewed as an unexpected political earthquake.

Rather, it confirms a longer historical pattern: Johor has never been a natural or enduring stronghold of Pakatan Harapan.

Instead, the state has traditionally been one of Barisan Nasional's (BN) deepest political reservoirs, interrupted only temporarily by a period of national upheaval.

The electoral breakthroughs enjoyed by PH in 2018 and its respectable showing thereafter were products of extraordinary national circumstances rather than a permanent restructuring of Johor's political landscape. Foremost of which was the fiasco of 1MDB caused ...