JOHOR BAHRU: Racial issues, long a muted feature of Johor politics, have gained prominence in the lead-up to the Jul 11 state election, sharpening the contest for the ethnic Chinese vote in several key seats.Analysts say national controversies over issues important to Chinese Malaysians, along with race-based campaigning by various political parties, have turned the Chinese electorate into one of the election's most fiercely contested voting blocs. While racial rhetoric is unlikely to reshape voting across all communities, it could prove decisive in some mixed and Chinese-majority constituencies, the observers add.While Johor's ethnic makeup broadly mirrors Malaysia's national demographic split of about 60 per cent Malay, 30 per cent Chinese and 10 per cent comprising other groups, Chinese voters form the largest voting bloc in around 12 of the state's 56 seats, most of them urban.RACE ENTERS THE MIXIn Johor Jaya, Pakatan Harapan (PH) is defending a seat where Chinese voters form the largest proportion. PH has held the constituency for three consecutive elections, and its candidate Lee Wern Yiing said racial messaging has been more pronounced in this campaign than previous state elections.She pointed to an AI-generated image circulating online that depicted Chinese women wearing PH T-shirts and hijabs. The image has been criticised by leaders of Democratic Action Party (DAP), a Chinese-majority party that is part of PH, with Johor DAP chairman Teo Nie Ching saying that it sought to depict those from PH wearing hijabs inappropriately to undermine the bloc.The image was also reportedly shared by a former local councillor from the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) on social media, accompanied by a remark disparaging PH.