Syahredzan Johan says aiming to enhance the foundation already set up by Ong Kian Ming in Bangi (VIDEO)

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — Nominated by Pakatan Harapan (PH) to defend the Bangi seat, lawyer Syahredzan Johan said he intends to work on the foundation that was already laid out by incumbent party mate Ong Kian Ming.

In an interview with Malay Mail, the DAP hopeful said he aims to bring new ideas and enthusiasm to the constituency that was held by Ong since 2013.

“Our strategy is to basically continue the good work [Ong] has done and to improve on areas which the people of Bangi think are important and need improvement,” he said.

He added that he is offering service, dedication and new ideas to make Bangi into a place with better living standards.

He admitted that thus far, he had few problems in the Malay-majority area thanks to the good reputation Ong has established there.

“We also have good [local council] members in Bangi who are always there to help address the needs of the people,” he said, adding that the village heads and community leaders also play an important role to make it easier for him to reach out.

Besides that, he called Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) decision to field him a sign that the coalition is taking youths and first-time voters seriously.

“This can be reflected in the fact that a lot of the candidates that have been announced by PH, for example, are younger candidates.

“This is a testament to our seriousness in giving the platform to young people,” he said.

He added that it is important to know how to play the social media game to reach out to this demographic, through platforms such as Twitch and Discord which hold a lot of potentials but have yet to be explored by political parties.

“You need to be able to assure [youth and first-time voters] that look, we will listen to you, we will engage with you, we will not look at you as just immature people like some have done,” he commented.

It was important to not speak to them as though one were on a pedestal, he said, instead one should listen to them and the solutions they have to offer.

Syahredzan, who was previously DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang’s political secretary, is the DAP social media bureau chairman and a central executive committee member of the party.

Bangi will be an eight-cornered fight with three independent candidates and Parti Rakyat Malaysia.