GE14 | In 2008, Khairy Jamaluddin, the then Umno Youth deputy chief, made his electoral debut and won the Rembau parliamentary seat convincingly.

Now, ten years later, Khairy's protégé and former aide Shahril Sufian Hamdan is seeking to emulate his success by contesting the Kuala Langat parliamentary seat. 

The two share much in common. Both made their election debuts at the age of 32. Both are well educated and have a penchant for form-fitting shirts topped off with well-manicured hair.

They were both educated in the UK and have established a public profile and public-speaking skills before being nominated as a candidate.

The circumstances of their respective election debut, however, have been vastly different. 

When Khairy won in Rembau, it was, and still remains an Umno stronghold. Shahril, on the other hand, has been tasked with wresting the Kuala Langat seat held by PKR for two terms. 

Like Rembau, Kuala Langat is a semi-urban seat of mixed-ethnicity which encompasses Banting town, Morib, Jugra and Pulau Carey. Malay constituents make up the majority at 57 percent.

Shahril will be facing off against veteran PKR politician Dr Xavier Jayakumar, 65, who has served two terms in the Selangor cabinet as the Seri Andalas lawmaker.

The third opponent is PAS’ Dr Yahya Baba, 64, a former director of the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital.

All three candidates would be vying for the seat for the first time. 

Victory in Kuala Langat would no doubt bode well for Shahril, who those in Umno circles often tout as Umno Youth chief material.

Banking on youth

Shahril’s campaign materials have emphasised his youth and his pledge to bring development to the constituency, upgrade public infrastructure and affordable homes.

Unlike his opponents, he has been actively documenting his campaign through social media, in the hope that this would reach first-time voters, who make up a significant 20 percent of the 102,406 Kuala Langat voters.

"I am not taking anything for granted. The support has been very encouraging but there is more work to do. I respect my rivals, they are seasoned politicians," Shahril told the media after six days of campaigning.

Apart from his credentials, some BN canvassers believed that Shahril also has another ace up his sleeve to draw non-Malay voters – his mixed-ethnicity background and local ties.

Kuala Langat MCA deputy president Yap Chin Beng told Malaysiakini that local Chinese have no difficulty in accepting Shahril, whose mother is Chinese.

"He is young, open and friendly. He does not harbour any anti-Chinese sentiments," he said.

Although Shahril was not born within the Kuala Langat district, a veteran Umno activist who was part of his campaign said the latter had local links because his grandfather was a prominent figure in Pengkalan Permatang Pasir, located at the Sungai Langat river mouth.

For some voters, Shahril’s boyish good looks has also become a talking point.

Veteran opponents

Although Xavier might also be new to Kuala Langat, he is no stranger due to the fact that he has served two terms in the state cabinet. 

Malaysiakini recently caught up with Xavier when he and his team were disseminating leaflets outside the Kampung Seri Cheeding mosque and it was apparent that some mosque goers recognised him. 

However, Xavier acknowledged that race will play a factor in this election, as he and his team have heard calls for Muslim voters to elect one of their own. 

Xavier, a Christian, said some BN vote canvassers even urged him to remove his gold chain, which is forbidden for Muslim males. He ignored this request. 

“We have support from Malays because of the state government’s programmes which improved the lives of people here,” the Ipoh-born doctor told Malaysiakini.

Xavier said his team hopes to secure 35 percent of the Malay votes, which would be enough to tide him through, assuming that he secured the bulk of the non-Malay votes.

He expected PAS to receive only 13 percent of the Malay vote, making him and Shahril the main contenders.

Even so, PAS’ Yahya, who appeared to be the only true local boy in this contest, believed that he, too, was winning the non-Malay votes. 

Yahya has pledged to set up a university in Kuala Langat if elected. 

Voters split

Meanwhile, a straw poll of voters of various ethnicities revealed that voters appeared split on whether to back Shahril or Xavier.

Farmer Shah Kadiran, 35,  said he would vote for Pakatan Harapan because he believed BN was corrupt.

"Selangor state government is okay, they built the basic amenities and they are fair to all races," he said. 

Despite being Malay, he said he and his family would not vote along racial lines.

Shah said he followed Shahril's social media and wasn't sure if a wealthy man could understand the bread and butter issues of the local people.

Tailor Tee Aik Teong (photo), 51, said he was backing the Harapan candidate because of the state of the economy and influx of foreigners setting up shop in Banting.

"I am not anti-government, but I want to have a two-party system which I think is good for democracy in Malaysia," he said. 

Meanwhile, contractor Mantider Rahman, 55, said he would be voting for BN because PKR had “done nothing” to improve Selangor.

"My village does not have street lights and the roads are not being upgraded. We have given them 10 years, so now is the time for a change," the Umno member said.

Retiree V Munusamy, 71, also said he supported BN, but because of BR1M cash handouts. 

"I don't know the candidate, I just saw his poster. But BN gave me BR1M, why should I vote for the other?" he asked.