MELAKA: Five years after campaigning for Pakatan Harapan in Ayer Molek, Muhammad Hakimin Mokhtar is back, this time seeking votes for himself.
His sole opponent is the Melaka Governor's son.
The 35-year-old former banker, who heads Melaka PKR Youth, described himself as the underdog in the straight fight against Barisan Nasional’s Datuk Mohd Ridhwan Mohd Ali, the son of Tun Mohd Ali Rustam.
“I’ll leave it to the Almighty to decide my fate on Nov 14,” Hakimin said in an interview on Thursday (Nov 5).
Hakimin said he had been making his rounds on foot to speak to voters in person.
He said residents had received him warmly, with many telling him they wanted better infrastructure and expected him to address the issue if elected.
This is Hakimin’s first run for the seat.
As a member of PKR’s Hang Tuah Jaya division, he helped campaign in Ayer Molek in 2021 for Mohd Rafee Ibrahim, better known as "Cikgu Rafee".
Rafee polled 2,446 votes and finished third in a four-cornered contest.
Barisan’s Datuk Rahmad Mariman retained the seat in that election with a majority of 2,802 votes.
This time, the coalition has fielded Mohd Ridhwan, the Hang Tuah Jaya Umno division chief who has long been active in youth organisations and popular among the Gen Z statewide.
Rahmad was among three state executive councillors left out of the line-up announced by Melaka Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh on Oct 24.
Ayer Molek has 24,614 registered voters, up from 17,863 in 2021.
The seat has a predominantly Malay electorate and is home to a longstanding Javanese community.
The Election Commission has set early voting for Nov 10 and polling for Nov 14.
