As the 14th general election approaches, The Malaysian Insight looks at new and young politicians who are being groomed by their parties to stand as candidates. One of the biggest grouses among the electorate is the lack of young leaders as the heads of political parties, even in the opposition, are those who have been in politics since the 1980s. Where are the young to take Malaysia forward?

SELANGOR Pakatan Harapan is expecting three-cornered fights in the state in the 14th general election and PKR’s Mohd Najwan Halimi is one of the grassroots leaders tasked with preparing the party machinery to face the onslaught.

The 32-year-old was actively involved in the last two elections, campaigning for PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim in the Permatang Pauh seat in 2013.

In 2008, he was part of the team which helped Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad capture the Seri Setia state seat from Barisan Nasional. Nik Nazmi retained the seat in 2013 by an even bigger majority.

Najwan is tipped to replace Nik Nazmi in Seri Setia in Selangor, which in 2013 had 51% Malay voters, Indian (29%) and Chinese (18%). 

“It will be a tough battle, but it’s not impossible to retain the seat. I believe voters in Selangor are smart enough to evaluate our performance in the state. 

“The grassroots are ready and prepared to face three-cornered fights,” he told The Malaysian Insight. 

Selangor PAS, which broke away from a pact with DAP and PKR, has said it is ready to contest at least 42 state seats and in as many parliamentary seats as possible.

Najwan, who is the secretary for the Kelana Jaya PKR branch, however, said he would leave it to the party to decide if he would stand in the elections.

“We have prepared our machinery but the party will decide on my candidacy. If the party believes in me to run as candidate, I’m ready.

“It’s my task to make sure the machinery is ready, I was a campaigner before this but if they pick me as the candidate, I have to lead the campaign. I’m prepared mentally and physically.”

The former administrative and diplomatic service officer (PTD) started his career in politics as a special officer to PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim in 2010, an offer he said he could not turn down.

It was Anwar and the Reformasi movement formed in 1998 that triggered Najwan’s interest in politics.

He said he believed in the reform agenda put forth by Anwar and this was one reason he joined PKR.

“I was still in school at that time but it was the turning point for me to be involved in politics. And when I was a student in university, I found out that I liked serving people and public service became my passion.”

The Reformasi movement, sparked by the firing and jailing of Anwar, who had been deputy prime minister then, led to the formation of Parti Keadilan Nasional, the precursor to PKR.

“I know some people view politics as dirty and something negative but for me politics is part of public service and with the right intentions, it can be one of the platforms to serve the society and country,” said Najwan, who was appointed as the Selangor sports council deputy director in 2015.

Before graduating from Universiti Tenaga Nasional with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, he also had a brief stint interning at the opposition leader’s office as well as doing some voluntary work for the party. 

“After graduating in 2008, I did some engineering jobs before joining the civil service. But when you are working for the government, it limits your passion in politics and I couldn’t develop myself.”

His family were unhappy about his eventual decision to quit the civil service and enter politics.

“Both my parents were civil servants and my family have never really discussed politics. So, when the offer came, many in my family were against my decision because they said a job with the government was more secure. 

“But I thought the experience I could get from working with Anwar would be more valuable for me,” he said, adding that his father once said a person could not just be critical of the government without joining politics. 

In 2011, Najwan made headlines when he testified in Anwar’s Sodomy II trial. He was called as the sixth defence witness as he had known Anwar’s accuser, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan. 

In his testimony, Najwan said Saiful was his former college mate and had expressed hatred towards Anwar and was very “pro-government”. Najwan was attached to the office of the Selangor economic adviser, who was Anwar at the time. 

Anwar is currently serving a five-year jail sentence after he was convicted of the second sodomy charge in 2015, and is due to be released early in June under a one-third remission of his sentence for good behaviour.

Najwan has been actively engaging with Kelana Jaya constituents, going to the ground almost every week to meet people.

He said voters should embrace the trend of electing younger leaders, as young people were more open and receptive to new ideas. 

As seen in the 2008 elections, the opposition fielded many politicians under 30, said the founder of online forum Telawi Forum and the writers’ academy, Akademi Pak Sako.

“We are more dynamic, energetic, and our commitment is more focused. We are exposed to things that involve millennials.

“If I’m chosen to contest, I’m offering myself to serve the constituency, I have prepared myself to commit my time with the people.”

He said he is not concerned about kicking off his political career as a grassroots leader, believing his time to shine at the national level would come. 

“Politics is a marathon and I don’t want to rush it.” – February 17, 2018.