PENANG PKR's Dr Afif Bahardin, who is vying for the Seberang Jaya state seat may be the youngest candidate in Penang but little does he realise that he his going for one of the hottest seats in town.

Hottest because the future assemblyperson for Seberang Jaya or Penanti , the other state seat under the Permatang Pauh constituency, is slated for the post of Penang's Deputy Chief Minister I.

Another seat, Permatang Pasir , is being contested by PAS' state commissioner Salleh Man.

It is learnt that the post, designated for a PKR appointee, would most likely come from Permatang Pauh, as defacto leader Anwar Ibrahim, if he retains the seat, hopes to become premier should the Pakatan seize Putrajaya on May 5, the national the polling day.

NONE But Afif, 28, ( left ) can only be considered for the post if he manages to capture the multi-racial seat, fending off two other veterans: Umno's Mohammad Nasir Abdullah, 51, and Independent Samsut Tabrej GM Ismail Maricar, 63.

Penanti's PKR candidate Norlela Ariffin is not likely to be considered for the position due to her poor health as she had suffered from neuropathy not too long ago.

The caretaker DCM I and PKR state chief Mansor Othman has been reassigned to the Nibong Tebal parliamentary seat and will work at the federal level if all things go as Anwar had planned.

Afif, state PKR youth vice-chief, declined to comment on the matter, saying he prefers to win the seat first, as he has a tough battle ahead, being a newcomer to the game.

However, he stands a good chance for victory for two reasons: a multi-racial and modern persona and his professional experience as a doctor at a government hospital which would help him reach out to his constituents.

 Umno infighting PKR bonus?

arif shah omar shah bn umno candidate for permatang pauh by election 140808 12 Umno's infighting , which erupted after the party's candidate list was announced with incumbent Arif Shah Omar Shah ( right ) being dropped, will give him added advantage to snatch the seat from his rivals.

"Umno won the seat with a mere 533 votes in 2008. We hope to overcome that as the people have witnessed improvement in their lives due to the various programmes by the Pakatan Rakyat government," Afif said in an interview with Malaysiakini .

He faces some challenges, though, as the Mandarin speaking Arif was well-liked in Seberang Jaya, well enough to draw the even usually staunch Pakatan Chinese supporters to his fold.

"Yes, he has set a high standard for future assemblymen.

"But as a young candidate, I have new and fresh ideas on how to develop this place, I have a lot of energy to serve people better and will be a voice for all communities and the youth in the state assembly," he added.

"Moreover, being young, I am scandal-free," he quipped.

Afif ‘s first concern if he wins is to improve public amenities, provide better recreational areas, community and sports centers to bring people of all races and religions together, and find more job opportunities for the youth.

Meeting 2,000 voters a day

NONE But while Afif thinks his rivals' internal crisis may help split the votes among Nasir ( right and Samsut Tabrej  - a former Umno member who has been recently sacked - beg to differ.

Nasir, a businessman, dismisses claims of being a stranger to the community, saying he has been in the neighborhood since 1985.

"Besides, no one can claim they are locals here because Seberang Jaya is a new township formed only in 1981,"said Nasir.

He, too, thinks he has an upper hand in claiming the seat, saying that the figure of 2,000 odd voters he meets each day on his campaign trail had been "encouraging".

Still in high spirits

"We have quite a number of voters already in our pocket. Even at the height of the political tsunami in 2008, we managed to obtain about 9,395 votes, against PKR's 8,862," he added, saying most of these will remain with the party.

"We have registered almost half of the 7,500 new voters so we are not afraid, many of the youths here support the BN," he added, referring to the 29,998 voters comprising 64 percent Malays, 23 percent Chinese and 12 percent Indians.

He wants to turn Seberang Jaya into a clean and safe botanic garden, which will attract many tourist visits, and help the many jobless youths in the area find employment at the various industrial plants within the vicinity.

Asked whether the Anwar factor would throw a spanner in his campaign, Nasir said PKR is so weak many branches ,especially in Penanti have shut down, adding "it has not had an effect on us".

NONE Samsut Tabrej ( right) , on the other hand, realises that he is up against two "giants" - BN and PKR in this contest but is comforted by his 27 years of service to the Seberang Jaya people.

A commissioner of oath, he lectures on motivational topics, provides counselling to families and is a such a staunch animal lover, his election symbol is a rabbit.

He also rears more than 20 rabbits in his home and goes around campaigning by bicycle with a rabbit in his hand.

Keeping to the simple life

"I keep a low profile when I campaign. In my normal life, I am also very simple, I do not have a motorbike or a car but go around on my bicycle," he said, vowing not to change his life-style if he wins.

Other than keeping fit, Samsut Tabrej cycles to observe the many problems faced by locals so he can reach out to help them find solutions.

"I am sorry to say, the other two candidates are not locals, how can they serve this community?" he asked.

The former Royal Air Force serviceman condemns those labelling themselves as YB (Yang Berhormat) after they win a seat, vowing to do away with such titles, and focus on serving the people.

On him being recently sacked from Umno for contesting as an independent against the party's candidate, Samsut shrugged it off, saying "It does not affect me. I have not been active since 2008".

"I was not really interested in becoming a candidate as I earlier supported the BN incumbent. I did so only because the two parties were fielding outsiders here," said the father of three.

"I want to be in the state assembly so I can help make some laws to benefit the people, even something as simple as providing proper playgrounds for the community, which is now being wrongly used by drug addicts and shaddy characters," he added.

This candidate may be environmentally-friendly but his support for the now abolished Internal Security Act - which has been replaced with Securities Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 - may not endear him to the more enlightened voters.