‘I live in Larkin, I know Larkin’s demographics’: BN’s Mohd Hairi says being a local boy is his secret weapon

JOHOR BAHRU, July 3 — Mohd Hairi Mad Shah is staking his campaign on his local roots and firsthand knowledge of the community as he seeks to defend the Larkin seat in the 16th Johor state election.

Running under the slogan “Anak JB untuk Orang JB” (JB’s Son for JB’s People), the Barisan Nasional candidate said growing up and attending school in the area gives him a natural advantage in grasping local issues and serving more effectively.

“My edge is that I live in Larkin, I know Larkin’s demographics, and I even went to school here,” he told Bernama recently.

Mohd Hairi, who also serves as the state Exco member for Youth, Sports, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, said his experience as a state government executive strengthens his service record and makes him worthy of continued trust from constituents.

When asked about the seven-day campaign momentum, the Umno Youth vice-chief said he is not letting complacency set in, despite receiving encouraging feedback.

Mohd Hairi remains committed to making the most of the remaining campaign period, expanding his outreach to every corner of the constituency to connect with as many of the 76,662 registered voters as possible.

“Most of the people I’ve met have given me very positive feedback, but I’m not taking it easy or getting overconfident. I will continue to carry out the mandate entrusted to me by the party,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohd Hairi reminded voters not to treat this election as a ‘testing ground’ in choosing their representative, but rather to assess candidates based on performance and stability.

“In the current political landscape, we can no longer afford to treat elections as a test ground or experiment. Instead, voters should have confidence in the administrative capabilities of today’s leadership, under the helm of young leaders and a party that is going through a rejuvenation process,” he said.

In the 2022 state election, Mohd Hairi won the Larkin seat with a majority of 6,178 votes in a six-cornered contest.

This time around, he faces the challenge of defending the seat from Pakatan Harapan candidate Suhaizan Kayat and Norsinah Abu from Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama).

A total of 172 candidates are contesting for 56 state seats in the Johor election, with polling day set for July 11 and early voting on July 7.

For the latest updates on the 16th Johor state election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/johor/.

N44 Larkin: 76,662 voters

Norsinah Abu (Bersama)

Suhaizan Kayat (PH-Amanah)

Mohd Hairi Mad Shah (BN-Umno)

(2022: Mohd Hairi Mad Shah: BN-Umno: Maj: 6,178) — Bernama