JOHOR BARU: Dr Maszlee Malik (pic) has described his Puteri Wangsa victory as a heavy trust to bear after emerging as the only PKR candidate to win a seat in the Johor polls.
“Being the sole PKR representative to win a seat in this state election is not a matter of pride to boast about, but a manifestation of trust that I must uphold with deep humility,” he said in a statement on Sunday (July 12).
The former education minister said the win came with an enormous responsibility, citing Imam Al-Ghazali, who when asked what was the heaviest thing in the world, replied that it was neither mountains nor iron, but amanah (trust).
“This victory is a very heavy amanah. I ask for everyone’s prayers that Allah grants me the strength to carry it, to fight for the people of Puteri Wangsa and to bring the voice of Keadilan to Johor,” he said.
Maszlee thanked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar and other national and state party leaders, along with grassroots machinery from within and outside Johor who he said camped in the constituency from the start of the campaign to the finish line.
He also credited his media team of Mutalib Uthman, Khairi Zulfadhli and Hans Yusoff as the architects of his digital campaign, thanking them for ensuring every message of the campaign “reached every handphone screen and the hearts of the people”.
He reserved special thanks for his wife and family for their prayers and patience, and for Puteri Wangsa voters for placing “an amanah this heavy” on his shoulders.
In Saturday's (July 11) election, Maszlee polled 41,821 votes against Barisan Nasional candidate Teow Chia Ling’s 36,077, winning the seat with a 5,744-vote majority.
Also in the five-cornered fight were Muda’s Rashifa Aljunied, Bersama’s Nicholas Paul Vincent and independent Wang Wee Seong.
The seat was won in 2022 by Muda’s Amira Aisya Abd Aziz with a 7,114-vote majority, but she did not defend it, making way for Rashifa. Muda lost its deposit in all four seats it contested this time, including Puteri Wangsa.
Barisan swept 48 of the 56 seats while Pakatan Harapan took the remaining eight, comprising six DAP seats, one Amanah and one PKR.
Perikatan Nasional, which previously held three seats, lost all deposits, while PKR’s candidates in Sri Medan and Tanjung Surat lost their deposits.
