Age not a hurdle for Perikatan candidate

‘Uncle’ figure: Khairul (right) meeting with voters at Hulu Yam Lama.

HULU SELANGOR: Perikatan Nasional’s 54-year-old candidate Khairul Azhari Saut is often seen as an “uncle” figure by younger locals in Kuala Kubu Baru and despite being over two decades older than his main opponent in the by-election, he says age is just a number.

“Whether you can deliver or not, that is another thing. Because, you have to serve the people and at the end of the day, it is about what you can do for voters,” he said when met at a Hari Raya event at a mosque in Bukit Bujang recently.

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He is the oldest among the four candidates competing to be the new KKB state lawmaker in polls set on May 11.

His main rival, Pang Sock Tao of Pakatan Harapan, is 31 while Independent candidate Nyau Ke Xin, a manager of a logistics company, is 27.

Another candidate, Hafizah Zainuddin of Parti Rakyat Malaysia is 50.

Khairul’s seniority could dampen his chances.

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The Star’s interviews with several voters in the state constituency recently found that many wanted their elected rep to be “young, energetic, dynamic and capable”.

One resident even went on to say that experience can be earned on the job through guidance from veteran state lawmakers.

Another voter said it did not matter whether the elected rep was homegrown or a resident, “as long as they are accessible to the people when needed, in order to bring in development,”.

Khairul pushed back against this view, saying that being a local gave him an added advantage among KKB’s some 40,000 voters.

Of the four candidates, only Khairul is from KKB, having been born and raised in Felda Sungai Tengi.

He is also the acting Hulu Selangor division chairman for Bersatu, a component party of Perikatan.

Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, who is Perikatan election director for the polls, said Khairul has announced his plans in ceramah and meeting with voters.

“If elected, Khairul has pledged to strengthen the Opposition bloc in the Selangor legislature by serving as a check-and-balance to the Pakatan Selangor government while airing the grouses of the public,” Azmin said when contacted.

Khairul will also serve as an effective bridge of communication between the people and government agencies, he added.