Days before Johor voted, one viral Malay phrase already hinted at BN’s landslide win

JOHOR BAHRU – While covering Barisan Nasional’s (BN) campaign ahead of the July 11 Johor state election, The Straits Times found an easy way to gauge voter reception to the coalition – just ask a question: “Onn tak Onn?”

It was a play on words, referring to Onn Hafiz Ghazi, who has since returned as Menteri Besar, and the Malay slang phrase “on tak on?” – which roughly means “are we on?”, when asking about one’s plan.

Over two weeks of campaigning, the Malay phrase had turned into an unlikely campaign slogan for BN as the coalition rode on the 47-year-old BN Johor chief’s governance record in the southern state.

At times, there was no need for lengthy interviews. ST could just simply ask locals, “Onn tak Onn?” – and would receive either a resounding reply of “Onn!”, a thumbs up, or merely a subtle nod to indicate their support for BN.

On Polling Day, ST visited an outlet of Marrybrown, a Malaysia-based fast-food chain selling fried chicken alongside local food like nasi lemak. The brand was offering a free piece of chicken to those who could show that they had voted.

General contractor Nur Azan Ismail, 49, who was there to claim the deal, was initially hesitant to reveal his vote to ST.

But when asked the viral question, he replied confidently: “Onn!” The conversation flowed easily afterwards.

The sentiment was also evident when ST visited the rallies held by opposition coalitions Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional, among voters standing outside the tents – away from the ardent party supporters – to listen in from afar.

At a PH rally in Kota Masai on July 5, Johor Jaya voter Rosli Ramli, 50, had also responded to the phrase.

“Times are tough and prices are high, but Onn Hafiz – you can see that he is really a good kid. He walks the ground and does his work well,” he told ST.

While Onn Hafiz’s leadership made Johor an economic darling, attracting a record RM110 billion (S$35 billion) in approved investments in 2025, his appeal to voters rested on more local issues.

Among them were surprise spot checks and quick responses to infrastructure problems, from traffic congestion and crowded bus terminals to the Johor-Singapore checkpoints.

In January, he was shown on social media conducting spot checks at the Larkin Bus Terminal, still dressed in attire from the pre-dawn prayer.

It is uncertain who came up with the phrase, but by July 8, UMNO and BN had begun to co-opt it, dubbing it a “phenomenon”.

Officiating the Johor Entrepreneurs Gathering, UMNO secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the “Onn tak Onn” trend signalled how familiar and confident voters were with Onn Hafiz.

“Wherever you go, this ‘Onn tak Onn’ phenomenon is real. It shows that people know the Menteri Besar and his executive councillors, about two-thirds of whom are under the age of 45,” he was quoted as saying.

“They have shown extraordinary commitment because they have consistently engaged with the people. They did not only come down to the ground during the campaign to make promises.”

In March, BN launched a podcast titled On Tak On to showcase Johor’s achievements and key UMNO figures such as former Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and former Johor menteri besar Hasni Mohamad, alongside Onn Hafiz.

Larkin candidate Hairi Mad Shah had also been using “Larkin on tak on” as his campaign slogan since Nomination Day on June 27.

However, the phrase “Onn Tak Onn” did not really take off until the Johor campaigning, when emcees used it to create hype among the crowd.

BN’s landslide victory has fuelled UMNO’s claims that a “blue wave” has begun from the south ahead of state elections in Negeri Sembilan and Melaka. But the Johor result raises another question: Was it a vote for BN, or simply for Onn Hafiz?

Again, the phrase could easily illustrate this.

As it became clearer on the night of July 11 that BN would retain Johor with 48 seats out of 56, its chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi tried to gauge support for him at the UMNO headquarters in Johor Bahru by trying a similar phrase.

“Zahid tak Zahid?” he asked. He was met by an awkward silence instead.

Negeri Sembilan’s Nomination Day is scheduled for July 18 and will kick off two more weeks of campaigning. BN will hope that it finds a similar “Onn tak Onn” catchphrase there.