Hannah Yeoh: I was wrong about Muda

 

JOHOR POLLS | Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh, during the Johor campaign trail, related how she was initially opposed to the formation of the youth-led Muda.

Yeoh said she had a "big disagreement" with Bakri MP Yeo Bee Yin upon learning that Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman was planning to form Muda. Bakri and Muar are neighbouring parliamentary constituencies in Johor.

"Bee Yin told me that Syed Saddiq was going to form Muda. I had a big disagreement with Bee Yin. In every political party, there is a youth wing. Why do we need Muda?" she said during a ceramah.

Yeoh, who was stumping for Muda candidate Lim Wei Jiet in Tenang, Johor, last Sunday night, said many months later (after the disagreement), after witnessing the people behind Muda during the Covid-19 lockdown and the major floods late last year, she changed her mind.

"When I saw Segambut Muda on the ground, I was shocked. I saw young faces, those who were not active in politics before but suddenly they are eager to do things for the nation.

"They are out there saying 'what can I do, can I clean a house, can I sweep the floor, can I give out food packs?'.

"When I saw something like that, I knew what I thought of Muda was wrong and I apologised to Bee Yin. I told Bee Yin I was wrong.

"Because I saw with my own eyes that Muda is beyond Syed Saddiq and there are many young people who are genuinely concerned about the nation," she said.

Even though Yeoh and Yeo are from DAP and Muda is not part of Pakatan Harapan, the Segambut MP said politics was not a realm of exclusivity and the current generation must not stop the next generation from building a better Malaysia.

"I told Bee Yin that maybe if we cannot do it, why can't we allow others to do it.

"Politics is not an exclusive game, it is not a birthright that only I can do and no others can. If my generation cannot, then the next generation must be able to deliver better for Malaysia.

"We need to start seeing things beyond our comfort zone, beyond our party, beyond our generation," she said.

Yeoh, 43, said, she too had ventured into politics at a relatively young age at 29 when she contested in the Subang Jaya state seat.

Young activist

She then shared how a 21-year-old Muda activist called Faris who was helping out with the Johor campaign had approached her and said he was at her ceramah when he was younger.

"He said he was at my ceramah 14 years ago. I said how old were you when you were at my ceramah?"," Yeo asked, to which the activist replied: "Standard 1, 7-years-old".

"14 years ago, this Standard 1 boy came to my ceramah, he heard everything we said - why we join politics, why we fight corruption.

"Fast forward three election cycles later, today he is here. He attended a DAP ceramah and today he is here wearing a Muda T-shirt at the age of 21.

Inspire the next generation

"This is why we do what we do - inspire the next generation to carry on the work, to take it forward and run.

"If I cannot do it, then I hope Faris can do it. If I cannot do it using my platform, using my coalition, it is my hope that Faris with his logo will be able to do the same for a multiracial Malaysia," Yeoh said.

Campaigning for the Johor polls kicked off last Saturday (Feb 26). Johoreans will go to the polls on March 12. - Mkini