Fresh faces: (From left) Nurul Ashikin, Isham and Syahredzan are potential young candidates who are hoping for a spot in Parliament.
PETALING JAYA: Several young leaders are ramping up their presence both on the ground and on social media, as they bid to become first-time candidates in the 15th General Election (GE15).
Long before nomination day, some of these young guns are on fundraising rounds, with rallying speeches.
Among the leaders are Pejuanita Muda chief Dr Nurul Ashikin Mabahwi, Umno supreme council member Isham Jalil and DAP central executive committee member Syahredzan Johan.
Nurul Ashikin admitted that she was making the preparations to contest but remained tight-lipped on her potential constituency.
“I leave it to the party (Pejuang) to decide. I prefer a Parliament seat in a flood- or landslide-prone area so I can use my expertise in disaster risk resilience,” said the 32 year-old who holds a PhD in Regional Environment Systems from Shibaura Institute of Technology in Japan.
Isham, who once had a stint as former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s special officer, is also speculated to contest although it is not known in which seat.
Like Nurul Ashikin, Isham has also started his fundraising drive on social media.
As for Syahredzan, it had been previously reported that the political secretary to DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang could be Pakatan Harapan’s candidate for the Bangi seat.
His candidacy is apparently endorsed by outgoing Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming, who will not be contesting.
Another potential young candidate is Datuk Mohd Nizar Najib, who could replace his father Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the Pekan seat.
Najib cannot stand as he has been jailed for 12 years for corruption.
However, Utusan Malaysia has reported that Nizar is not among the names nominated by the Pekan Umno division. Nizar is Pekan Umno’s youth chief.
Nevertheless, it is learnt that talks are still going on about Nizar’s candidacy as Pekan has been his family’s legacy since the 1950s when it was held by his grandfather and second prime minister Tun Abdul Razak.
Political pundit Dr Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar of the International Islamic University Malaysia said Nizar’s candidacy would be one of the best strategies for Umno to retain the seat as Najib’s influence was still strong in that constituency.
“The election in Pekan will be about Najib factor,” he said.
On fresh faces as candidates, Tunku Mohar said they could bring new perspectives to the legislative process.
“In a political system dominated by old faces, they can help bring about changes,” he said.
New faces can also bring more excitement as they would be closely assessed by voters who could compare them to the incumbents.”
Dr Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said it is highly likely that Nizar would “take care” of the seat for both the party and the family.
On the impact of the new faces, Oh said they would appeal to some voters who are tired of old faces.
“But the local party machinery is also likely to pull the rug from under such new candidates,” he said.
