KUALA LUMPUR – Issues faced by the constituents of Shah Alam are something he keeps close to his heart, and Azli Yusof, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for the constituency strongly believes he is the best fit for voters there.
Although he is aware Perikatan Nasional’s Afif Bahardin, who quit PKR for Bersatu in June 2012, was born and raised in Shah Alam, Azli strongly believes that understanding the locality is imperative.
“No doubt Afif is ‘anak jati (true son)’ Shah Alam, because he was born and grew up here; however, I better understand the people here in Shah Alam.
“I moved here when I was 18 years old, saw all the development over the years, and also participated in it as I was a member of the Shah Alam City Council from 2009-2015,” he told The Vibes.
Azli, who is Selangor Amanah deputy chairman, said he is more experienced, has made more contributions than other candidates, and wants to further improve the capital of Selangor.
Asked what he has to offer that is different from the other candidates, in addition to being the oldest, the 55-year-old firmly stated he has two things in mind for the voters.
“The first thing is to provide an affordable e-business centre with fast internet access that young entrepreneurs can use to set up their online businesses and run seminars and meetings,” he said.
Number two, Azli said, is to introduce a social security policy for those in the gig economy.
“This is to help protect them if they ever face any accidents on the job, because as we know their jobs can be very risky.
“As of now, what I am bringing to the plate is something more than what PH is offering,” he said.
For the first time, Malaysians aged 18 to 20 will be voting in this general election, following the implementation of Undi18 to lower the minimum voting age from 21.
Azli, an engineering graduate from the University of Missouri-Rolla in the United States, will be going up against Isham Jalil, 46, from BN; Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, 45, from Pejuang; and Afif, 37, from PN.
The Shah Alam parliamentary seat was held by Amanah communications director Khalid Abdul Samad for three terms, who contested under PAS during the 12th and 13th general elections and under Amanah in the 14th.
Khalid garnered 55,949 votes to defeat Azhari Shaari of BN and Mohd Zuhdi Marsuki of Pas. – The Vibes, November 12, 2022
