Jamaliah’s twin concerns

Jamaliah trying her hand at drawing during a charity event in her constituency.

TACKLING racial issues and empowering the youth are the two priorities of Bandar Utama assemblyman Jamaliah Jamaluddin.

She said racial issues was one of the reasons why she joined politics. It is something close to her heart.

“My mom is Chinese, my father is Malay. As someone of mixed parentage, I’m lucky yet unlucky at the same time.

“I’m lucky to be accepted by both the Chinese and Malay communities; the unlucky thing is that I also feel the pain of racism from both sides.

“Racism is being angry just because someone doesn’t look like you,” Jamaliah said.

She feels that if Malaysians are obsessed with race, some people could create racial issues as a diversion to stop people from focusing on what truly matters.

“For a nation to improve, you need people who are concerned and can criticise the government on the policies and the way they are leading the country.

“It is impossible to develop a nation if your nation is racist, especially when you have different races and cultures in a country. How can a country be developed if the people are fighting with each other?” she asked.

Jamaliah meeting constituents while distributing calendars at a morning market. Tackling racial issues is one of her main concerns as a politician.

To tackle such matters, the first-term assemblyman would issue statements whenever a racial issue crops up, collaborate with non-governmental organisations and conduct workshops or community activities such as gotong-royong.

“Don’t just do (an event) for the sake of doing. We need to be more creative, because usually, the ones who would join a dialogue on multiculturalism are those who already believe in your ideology.

Experience as councillorAs a young assemblyman, age is not a factor as Jamaliah has honed her skills and gained experience during her tenure as a councillor under Petaling Jaya City Council.

“I was one of the youngest councillors when I joined in 2016.

“It was rare to see a young councillor then; we were the first batch and I think that set a trend. Now there are more young councillors,” said the 30-year-old, who was an accounts manager before entering politics.

During her tenure, she learned how to deal with residents, and how to reason with them and people in the council as well.

“You need to set your heart right, have good communication and people skills,” she explained.

She said there needs to be more training for councillors so that they can go on to hold more important positions in the future.

“It’s human nature to have doubts, even within the council. But when they get to know you, it’s a different story.

“Age was a barrier for a short period because, at the end of the day, people will look at your capabilities,” she said.

Prior to the interview, Jamaliah was seen interacting with residents at a Christmas celebration by SS4B residents. It is hard to imagine that she’s actually an introvert.

“I was an introvert and still am; I actually avoided reporters during the press conference to introduce us as new councillors.

“I think you can overcome anything by stepping out of your comfort zone,” she said.

She looks up to Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin, having worked under her when Yeo was the Damansara Utama assemblyman from 2013 to 2018.

“She’s very hardworking and teaches us to think out of the box.

“I first joined DAP as a volunteer before becoming a member and Yeo offered me the chance to be a councillor,” she said.

As it was tough juggling a full-time job and being a councillor, Yeo then offered Jamaliah a post as her special assistant.

“I mostly helped her to handle youth programmes,” said Jamaliah, who is Selangor Dapsy vice-chairman.

A youth revolutionIn her role in Dapsy, she hopes to empower youths and get them to be more involved, including through internship and visits (to the state assembly).

“All revolutions that happen around the world are by and inspired by youths.

“When I spoke to one of my interns, she said the internship completely changed her initial idea of what an assemblyman is supposed to be. They thought there would be a generation gap and that assemblymen are older people who are very serious.

“When you empower one intern, they, in turn, can empower their peers,” Jamaliah said.

On the issues she has to tackle in her constituency, which used to be known as Damansara Utama until the redelineation exercise prior to the 14th general election, she explained that in cities, it is mostly the same, namely traffic congestion, safety, and sustainable development.

“In the past 10 years, I think the Selangor government has solved 80% of problems like drainage issues.

“In the end, it’s all about town planning, and it cannot solely depend on councils and state government. If the state government cannot support, we will try to make it work with our allocation,” she said.

She cited the planning of the LRT line as an example.

“It’s a first mile/last mile issue; there is no point if you cannot connect the last kilometre. Commuters need a safe pedestrian walkway from the station to the parking area or feeder bus stand.”

On her goals, the assemblyman hopes to increase safety in neighbourhoods.

“Within my constituency, I hope to lessen traffic congestion and provide better facilities for residents.

“When upgrading park facilities, we have to ensure that it is of good quality and can last for years to come, are disabled-friendly, and well-designed,” she said.