Mixed-heritage PH candidate hopes to unite communities in Tiram

JOHOR BAHRU: Growing up in a Chinese-Malay family and studying at a Chinese school has helped Pakatan Harapan’s Tiram candidate connect with people from different communities.

Nor Zulaila Abd Ghani, from Muar, said speaking Mandarin and understanding different cultures came naturally because of her upbringing.

“My father is Chinese and my mother is Malay. My parents sent me to a Chinese school, so I speak Mandarin,” she told FMT.

The former Kajang municipal councillor and private secretary to deputy finance minister Liew Chin Tong is making her electoral debut in Tiram, where she faces Barisan Nasional’s Abdul Halim Suleiman and two others in the July 11 state election.

“I’ve received a lot of attention since DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook announced that I would contest in Tiram. The response has been very positive during my walkabouts, and we haven’t faced any major issues so far,” she said.

Nor Zulaila acknowledged criticism on social media over her decision to join DAP, but said she preferred to let her track record speak for itself.

“I’ve served as a councillor for eight years. People can say whatever they want, but I want to prove to the community and the voters that I am here to serve (them),” she said.

She added that she preferred talking about her plans for Tiram than attacking her opponents.

Under her “Tiram Sejahtera” agenda, she is pledging to promote environmental education, support young families, and ensure that development benefits both families and entrepreneurs.

As a mother of two, she said she understood the challenges faced by young parents and wanted to introduce programmes to support them.

“We cannot stop development, but it must benefit everyone, not just one group,” she said.

Nor Zulaila also believes that young and first-time voters can decide the outcome of the election, and hopes those working outside Johor will return home to cast their ballots.

The environmental science graduate from Universiti Putra Malaysia said she became involved in community work before entering politics because she wanted to serve the people.

She said her family was initially reluctant to see her enter politics.

“They told me to find another job because they thought politics had no future. They said it is a 24-hour job and that weekends are the busiest.”

Tiram sees a four-cornered contest involving BN’s Abdul Halim Suleiman, Perikatan Nasional’s Khirul Muntanazar Ismail, Bersama’s Harith Fakhrudin Abdul Malik, and Nor Zulaila representing PH.

BN’s Azizul Bachok won the seat in the 2022 election with a majority of 5,281 votes.