As the 14th general election approaches, The Malaysian Insight looks at young and new politicians the parties are grooming to stand as candidates. One of the biggest grouses among the electorate is the lack of young leaders, as the political parties, even those of the opposition, are headed by people who have been in politics since the 1980s. Syerleena Abdul Rashid tells of how the reform movement and an evening at the mamak stall led her to become politically active.

ANWAR Ibrahim was a strong influence on Malaysian youth when he launched the Reformasi movement after he was sacked as deputy prime minister and finance minister in 1998.

Syerleena Abdul Rashid was one of those caught up in the movement. She was only 18 at the time.

“I had just finished SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) at the time. I was working part-time at Pizza Hut in Penang.

“I remember coming home from work and seeing my parents upset. Anwar had been sacked, they told me.

“My father was quite affected by the incident,” the Wanita DAP national assistant publicity secretary told The Malaysian Insight.

The event, which changed Malaysian politics, also changed Syerleena’s life. It paved her journey into politics.

She said what happened to Anwar made her ask many questions, and also led her to learn about Malaysian politics.

“My father used to buy cassette tapes of the ceramah. In those days, there were no YouTube videos of political speeches.

“So my parents and I listened to the taped speeches at home. We listened to Mohamad Sabu, Anwar and many others  – too many to  remember. It’s a shame we didn’t keep those tapes. 

“That was my early exposure to politics. I am proud to say that I am of the reform generation.”

Twenty years later, in a twist of fate, Anwar and Dr Mahathir are now working together in the opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan.

Dr Mahathir is now chairman of the coalition made up of PKR, DAP, Amanah and the party he founded, Bersatu. He is also the coalition’s  prime minister designate.

Syerleena said that in the beginning, she struggled to come to terms with Dr Mahathir as the leader of the coalition made up of parties that had previously highlighted the tyranny of Dr Mahathir’s administration.

“But today we have a greater enemy. Dr Mahathir has apologised. I think we should give him a chance to right the wrongs in the country.

“At 93, he should be resting and enjoying his retirement. But he has chosen to come back and fight tyranny,” she said.

Early exposure

Syerleena had been exposed to politics through reading from a young age.

“I was involved in Aliran. I read anything it published. I was always reading the Aliran Monthly. My father used to buy them,” she said, referring to the non-governmental organisation that encourages discussion of political, economic and social issues.  

“In 2011, I became a member of Aliran. I was also fighting human trafficking in Penang,” she said. 

Syerleena became politically active in 2013 when she joined DAP.

“I have always been interested in politics but I didn’t know what to do about it, until I ran into my old friend Chris Lee in 2013. He is a DAP member,” she said of her fellow MBPP councillor.

“I got to know him in 2008 when I was teaching kickboxing. He was in the class. We kept in touch on Facebook and one day, we ran into each other at Komtar.

“There was a meeting on issues in Batu Ferringhi. After that, he invited me for a drink at a mamak stall, where he asked if I wanted to be active in politics. That was where it started,” she said.

Syerleena is not the first in her family to join DAP. Her uncle, Rosli Hanafi has been a member since the 1980s, and had contested the Batu Uban state seat in the 1995 polls on a DAP ticket.

Swapping notes

Before politics, Syerleena was involved in music and art, graduating with a degree in visual communications from Universiti Sains Malaysia.

“Often people get very surprised when they learn about what I used to do. They always wonder ‘how can this happen?’

“I have always liked creative arts, visual arts and music. But now I want to do something really different, which is politics.

“I admit my life’s journey, which has led me to politics, is unconventional. Politicians are usually political science or sociology graduates.”

Syerleena, who plays the guitar, said music had helped to open her mind.

“At 13, I bought a cassette of (American rock band) Rage Against the Machine. It was the band’s first album.

“I was already listening to something very different then. It inspired me to ask questions.

“I thought in that moment that it would make me more open-minded. If I had an open mind, then I would start asking questions and seeking answers.

“I wanted to know more about the system in this country and how the government works,” she said.

Syerleena is among the young leaders DAP is expected to put forward in the general election, along with Amran Ahmad Nor, Young Syefura Othman and Kerk Chee Yee.

She is ready for the challenge if given the opportunity, she said she was ready to contest in the polls.

“It depends on the party. But I am ready if that responsibility is entrusted to me,” she said. – February 3, 2018.