Under-30 candidates still unable to secure mandate from Johor voters

JOHOR POLLS | Candidates under the age of 30 who contested in the state election are still unable to secure mandates from the state’s voters even with the very first implementation of Undi18.

Eight under-30 candidates contested in the election, with the youngest being two 26-year-olds.

Out of the eight, only Muda’s Amira Aisya Abd Aziz (above) won, as she secured the Puteri Wangsa seat with a majority of 7,114 votes, a first for her party.

The 27-year-old Muda secretary-general beat Ng Yew Aik (BN-MCA), Loh Kah Yong (Perikatan Nasional-Gerakan), Khairil Anwar Razali (Pejuang), Choong Shiau Yoon (Parti Bangsa Malaysia) and Adzrin Adam (Independent) in a six-cornered fight.

Age 40 and below

Out of the 239 candidates contesting in the election, 63 were aged 40 and below, with 14 from BN, followed by PN (13), Pejuang (11), Pakatan Harapan (10), Muda (seven), PKR (four), PBM (two) and Warisan (one), along with one independent candidate.

However, 14 of these candidates performed well by winning the seats they contested.

Harapan candidate Marina Ibrahim, 34, of DAP, contested the Skudai seat for her first time, beating Yeo Kwee Kwang (PN-Bersatu) and Shen Poh Kuan (BN-MCA) by obtaining 26,359 votes with a majority of 13,943 votes, the largest majority in the age group.

Four more Harapan-DAP candidates won, Ng Kor Sim, 38, with a majority of 7,001 in Jementah; Ee Chin Li, 39, with a majority of 372 votes in Tangkak; Liow Cai Tung, 36, with a majority of 1,922 votes in Johor Raya; and Wong Bor Yang, 35, with a majority of 5,921 votes in Senai.

Eight BN candidates from the same age group were also victorious, Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh, 35, in Bukit Pasir, with a thin majority of 198 votes; Mohd Hairi Mad Shah, 37, (Larkin, 6,178 majority); Ling Tian Soon, 38, (Yong Peng, 2,741 majority); Norlizah Noh, 38, (Johor Lama, 6,039 majority); K. Raven Kumar, 39, (Tenggaroh, 1,356 majority); Mohamad Najib Samuri, 39, (Parit Yaani, 294 majority); Aznan Tamin, 37, (Tanjung Surat, 5,903 majority) and Lee Ting Han, 31, (Paloh, 3,176 majority).

Only one of PKR’s four young candidates, Chiong Sen Sern, 32, managed to win, as he secured the Bukit Batu seat with a 137 majority, beating S Suppayah (BN-MIC), Tan Heng Choon (PN-Gerakan) and Lee Ming Wen (Warisan).

BN managed to grab 40 out of 56 state seats contested in the Johor state election, enabling the party to form the new state government, while Harapan secured 11 seats, PN (three seats), with PKR and Muda winning one seat each.

- Bernama