DAP’s Talent Pool

Over the past two weeks, at many instances before and after campaign events in Perling, Johor Jaya, Skudai, Tiram and other constituencies, many voters approached me to say that they are proud of DAP’s talent pool and our effort to continuously groom the new generation of leaders.

Under the leadership of Johor DAP Chair Sdri Teo Nie Ching, this election lineup has broken not only DAP’s own record but also that of every political party in Malaysia. For the first time, in a single election, nearly half of our candidates are women (8 out of 17), well surpassing the long-discussed milestone of fielding 30% female candidates.

Developing talent is never easy for any organisation, let alone a political party. Political workers devote their time, sometimes foregoing more lucrative career opportunities, and commit themselves to public service in the hope of contributing to the society and the nation. That is something we appreciate.

With polling day being less than 12 hours away, I would like to once again feature our first-time candidates who have spent many years serving both within the party and in their local communities:

🔺 Candidate for Skudai Kartiyaini Jeyapalan – A lawyer by profession, she served as a policy assistant in the Johor State Exco office during Pakatan Harapan’s first stint in government in 2018, and has been managing my constituency office for the past two years.

🔺 Candidate for Tiram Sdri Nor Zulaila Abdul Ghani – She joined DAP in 2014 and began working in a Member of Parliament’s office the same year. She became a local councillor in 2018. Since 2023, she has served as my private secretary, first at the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI), and later at the Ministry of Finance. She has vast experience in both local governance and federal policymaking.

🔺 Candidate for Johor Jaya Sdri Lee Wern Yiing – She first joined my office as an intern in 2014 when I was the Member of Parliament for Kluang. Later in 2018, she became assistant to the incumbent Johor Jaya ADUN Liow Cai Tung. She also joined Cai Tung at the State Exco office, giving her extensive experience in constituency service and state government administration.

🔺 Candidate for Yong Peng Sdri Yong Hui Yi – She interned in the office of Wong Shu Qi in 2016 and formally joined DAP after graduating with a political science degree in 2018. Over the past eight years, she has served in the offices of the Members of Parliament for Kluang and Kulai, as well as in the Organising Department at the DAP Johor Headquarters.

🔺 Candidate for Bukit Permai Sdr Mohamad Shafwan Ani – A political science graduate, he has spent the past nine years serving as assistant to the Member of Parliament for Kulai Teo Nie Ching. His earnest service in the constituency and solid organisational work within the party have earned him a strong reputation. His familiarity with Bukit Permai is one of his key strengths in this campaign.

🔺 Candidate for Parit Raja Shazwan Dzainal Abidin – He began serving as assistant to the incumbent Penggaram ADUN Gan Peck Cheng in 2018. During her tenure as Deputy Speaker of the Johor State Assembly, he also assisted her with legislative affairs. Over the past 8 years, he has built extensive experience in constituency work and public administration. In the 2022 general elections, he contested the Pontian parliamentary seat under the Pakatan Harapan banner against veteran UMNO leader Ahmad Maslan. He demonstrated his courage and readiness to take on difficult challenges.

We are also fielding Dr Ruban Arumugam for DUN Paloh, Chu Poh Yee for DUN Mengkibol, Felicia Poh Rui Ling for DUN Penggaram and Tay Yok Jiuen for DUN Bekok.

Tomorrow, I appeal to all Johor voters to give Pakatan Harapan a chance, give these young and bright leaders a chance. Vote for Pakatan Harapan, vote for a better and more hopeful future for Johor!

#JohorKeDepan #UndiHarapan