What has hit movie Dear You got to do with Johor’s upcoming election?

KUALA LUMPUR – The film Dear You has moved many moviegoers and become the top-grossing Chinese-language movie in Malaysia in 2026, with box office takings of at least RM15 million (S$4.8 million).

Political parties are now seeking to capitalise on its popularity to win the support of Chinese voters ahead of the Johor state election on July 11.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition fired the opening salvo with a full-page advertisement in the local Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily on July 5.

It featured a white-haired grandmother writing to her granddaughter, who is based outside Johor for work, urging her to return to her home town to vote.

The letter read: “Dear child, please come home on July 11 to visit me and cast your sacred ballot. Malaysia is heading towards a brighter future. I hope you will hold Grandma’s hand as we walk that path together. Love, Ah Ma.”

Alongside the letter was an old photo of the granddaughter as a child playing with other children.

For PH, Johor voters based in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are seen as crucial to its electoral prospects, hence the appeal for them to return to vote.

At the 2022 Johor state election, voter turnout fell to 55 per cent because of Covid-19 travel curbs. The Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition secured 40 out of 56 seats for a two-thirds majority in the state assembly. PH won only 12 seats.

The 2022 voter turnout was a far cry from the more than 80 per cent turnout recorded in the 2013 and 2018 general elections in Johor.

In response to PH’s Dear You campaign, Kuso Alliance, a group that supports BN, posted a spoof of the PH poster on Facebook on July 5, targeting the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a key component party of PH.

The altered version read: “If you vote wrongly for the DAP, Ah Ma will no longer have Teochew salted pork to eat. Love, Ah Ma.”

This referred to a controversy involving the PH-led Selangor government, which followed the state ruler’s directive to expedite the closure of 114 pig farms by June 30 over pollution concerns.

On July 5, a third Dear You-linked poster also appeared on the Facebook page of Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama), a newly launched party led by Rafizi Ramli, who was formerly the economy minister under the PH government.

The poster featured an Ah Ma wiping away the tears of a granddaughter who had previously felt pressured to vote for PH. It read: “Now, we smile when we vote instead of shedding tears.”

The message reflected dissatisfaction among some Bersama supporters over what they described as PH’s fearmongering tactic of warning that a vote for BN could indirectly strengthen Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS).

Some in the Chinese community view BN and PAS as representing increasingly divisive politics.

Amid the Dear You poster wars, Johor voters told The Straits Times that they were indifferent to the messaging.

A 37-year-old Johor Bahru native based in Singapore said she had already decided to vote in the election before the Dear You-linked political advertisements appeared.

“What truly moves hearts and minds is not just a poster, but a political platform that offers people a vision of the future. I am more influenced by candidates’ ideas and leadership abilities,” said the e-commerce executive, who wished to be known only as Mei Wan.

Meanwhile, 30-year-old QS Chin from Kulai, felt that PH had taken the support of voters working outside Johor for granted.

“It created a sense of moral blackmail, as if forcing Johoreans working away from home to vote for them (PH). I would rather see solutions to issues such as traffic congestion,” he said.