YOUTH party Muda is standing in only one seat in Terengganu – Bandar – but its candidate Luqman Long is already claiming he will win the three-way fight to wrest the constituency from PAS incumbent Ahmad Shah Muhamed.

The third candidate is Armi Irzan Mohd (BN/Umno).

Luqman said his confidence stemmed from the support he has received from the young voters in this constituency.

Bandar is one of four state seats in the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary constituency. The other three are Wakaf Mempelam, Ladang, and Batu Buruk.

About 64% of the 22,057 voters in Bandar are Malay; the Chinese make up up 35% and the Indians, 1%. Some 30% of the electorate are under 40.

Luqman said he never expected to have the support of the young voters who have become volunteers on his campaign trail.

He said he had only three volunteers at first. “Now I have 30. They are from all over Terengganu,” he said.

He said while the majority of the volunteers are locals from the polling districts of Kampung Cina and Hiliran Masjid, there are some from outside the constituency.

“There are also people who would just drop by and offer to help. It’s a daily occurrence.

“Those with jobs would offer to help in my campaign in the evening. There are even some who have taken leave from work so they can fully devote themselves to my campaign,” Luqman, who is Muda information chief, said.

Luqman admitted his election machinery was inferior to that of his two rivals but he did not see that as an obstacle to Muda winning the seat and creating history.

“Yes, people may say our election machinery is weak, but my experience tells me we can pull it off,” he said, referring to Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s 2022 election campaign in Muar.

“We started with only 10 volunteers and at the end of the day we succeeded in ousting the Umno government in Johor.

“The same story was repeated when we won the Johor seat of Puteri Wangsa. We started with only five volunteers but in the end we had 200.

“I hope the same could be repeated in Terengganu,” he said.

Campaign strategy

Luqman said Muda is not in Bandar to split votes.

“We are here to win,” he vehemently said.

Luqman said he is not only after non-Malay voters but voters who want change including “those who are tired of Umno and PAS – the only two parties that have won the seat since 1959”.

“The unfortunate thing is they have not brought any changes that could be felt by the people of this constituency.

“I believe I have a chance of winning if I harp on issues that are close to the voters’ hearts, like jobs and employment opportunities, decent salaries and opportunities for young people to do business.

“These issues are often raised when I meet the people here,” he said.

Law student Tan Kim Shing is one of Luqman’s volunteers.

The 21 year-old resident of Kampung Cina has taken leave of two weeks from legal work to help the Muda campaign in Bandar.

“I chose Muda because the party’s ideology and the strength of the candidate appealed to me,” he told The Malaysian Insight at Muda’s operation centre in Kampung Cina.

He said the party does not play up racial and religious sentiments but rather raises local issues.

“That’s why I chose to join Luqman’s team. As a local boy I will do my best to help him.

“I want to see Muda’s struggle end in a new lease of life for Bandar and even the whole of Terengganu,” he said.

Meanwhile, Luqman has promised not to join a major political bloc if he wins Bandar.

“I may be alone but I can definitely play the role of checks and balances,” he said, pointing to Muda president Syed Saddiq, the party’s sole representative in the Dewan Rakyat.

“If Syed Saddiq can do it, I can do it too,” he said. – August 4, 2023.