KUALA LUMPUR – In a case of student versus master, Juwairiya Zulkifli said she was not afraid of going up against Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali to wrest the Hulu Kelang state seat.
The Pakatan Harapan candidate said she was confident her work would speak for itself and voters would make the right decision.
“I am not afraid of this challenge since my record has shown that I performed well previously as people’s rep,” said Juwairiya, who was a last-minute stand-in candidate in the 2018 general election due to registration blunder by the first-choice candidate.
The Hulu Kelang seat will see a one-on-one contest between Azmin who is also the Perikatan Nasional election and his former protégé Juwairiya.
Both candidates who grew up within the Hulu Kelang constituency are convinced that they can win the hearts of the N18 electorate.
“He (Azmin) is also not a stranger to us, he was my former boss as well our former (party) deputy president. I worked with him in 2010 when he was the Gombak MP and Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman.
“So we know each other very well and our friends also know each other,” said Juwairiya.
The 38-year-old PKR deputy women chief, who was born and raised in Lembah Keramat, considered her familiarity with the Hulu Kelang neighbourhood as an advantage.
She highlighted that the Hulu Kelang constituency, “consists of 49% women voters and a large number of young people.”
“So there must be a reason why PH is putting a young female candidate,” she asserted.
When met by the media, Azmin explained that, “he is also ‘anak jati’ Hulu Kelang, growing up in Kg Klang Gate.”
He said that he would make amends for his loss in the 15th general election and admitted that there were several weaknesses that required improvements.
“On the defeat (for Gombak Parliament seat), we have been doing some reflection...maybe there are weaknesses we need to improve. But in Hulu Kelang, I (actually) was given the first mandate in politics 24 years ago.
“So there was no question of running away as claimed by my political enemies,” he explained.
Azmin is convinced that the people of Hulu Kelang, Gombak and Selangor will see the future of the state under PN.
“I am sure that we are witnessing a wave of people’s dissatisfaction with the failure of the government in Putrajaya to deal with the people’s problems, especially the cost of living and inflation.
“I am also young, the question is that the people want to see what kind of leadership (the government) brings,” he added.
Meanwhile, Selangor caretaker menteri besar Datuk Amirudin Shari said that his political secretary Juwairiya would rise to the occasion.
“She stands a good chance since she’s a local girl. Hulu Kelang people know well quite well and plus, she has a proven track record in Bukit Melawati,”
“This could be a tight contest and I believe in Juwairiya’s ability to defeat Azmin. Even when he (Azmin) was the senior minister of the federal government back then, people rejected him,” said Amirudin. – The Vibes, July 29, 2023
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