Former Kedah football team captain Baddrol Bakhtiar will be out to prove that he is equally adept at dabbling in politics as he is at dribbling the ball.
Representing Kedah PAS (Perikatan Nasional), Baddrol is in a one-on-one match against Pakatan Harapan candidate from PKR, Mohammed Firdaus Johari, in their race to win the Gurun state seat.
Mohammed Firdaus is a son of current Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul, whose other son Dr Mohammed Taufiq is Sungai Petani MP, also from Pakatan’s PKR.
“I take it as a challenge and encouragement for me to fight for the people of Kedah. I also want to become the voice for the youth in the state,” he said.
Baddrol believes his experience in leading the Kedah, Sabah and national teams will come in handy in his political work and silencing his critics.
“To me, playing football is as tough as politics. I showed leadership quality during my playing days and now, I hope to use those skills again in the political field,” he said.
On the youth support for Perikatan, the 35-year-old described it as tremendous and hoped it would translate into votes on Aug 12.
Meanwhile, another footie ace, Muhammad Radhi Mat Din, will have his work cut out for him when he goes up against seasoned politician Datuk Mahfuz Omar of Amanah (Pakatan) in Alor Mengkudu.
“For me, a fortress or not, opportunities are there in any constituency for anyone who dares to grasp them. I don’t have any problem contesting this seat,” he said.
The 58-year-old believes that since GE14, the pendulum has swung towards Perikatan.
“If I am elected, I’d like to help solve the problems faced by padi farmers, especially in irrigation and water supply issues. I also hope to improve the relations between all the communities in the state,” he said.
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