JOHOR BAHRU - Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) president Amira Aisya Abd Aziz has announced that she will not defend her Puteri Wangsa state seat in the next election and will instead contest a parliamentary seat.
Meanwhile, Rashifa Aljunied, 26, who serves as chief of staff to the Muda president and is a key member of the Puteri Wangsa Service Centre, was named the party's candidate for the Puteri Wangsa state constituency.
Amira Aisya said the decision to contest a parliamentary seat was driven by the need to champion national issues, including education, healthcare, cost of living and youth representation.
"After four years of serving in Puteri Wangsa, I realised that many of the issues raised by the people fall under the jurisdiction of Parliament.
"No matter how strongly we voice the people's concerns, there are no fundamental policies that can be formulated at the state assembly level because these matters come under Parliament's jurisdiction," she said during Muda's candidate announcement event at Taman Daya here today.
The incumbent Puteri Wangsa assemblywoman said she intends to focus on a parliamentary constituency within the Johor Bahru district.
"I can say now that I have a very strong sentimental attachment to both Puteri Wangsa and Tebrau.
"I was born in Kampung Melayu Majidee, and the whole of Johor Bahru has been my playground since childhood. The leadership will decide which seat I will contest, but as I have shared, my focus is on bringing the voices of Puteri Wangsa and Johor Bahru to Parliament.
"I do not want to be like the old political parties that are only concerned about winning strategies and power. Instead, I want to focus on how best to serve the people," she said.
Amira Aisya is Muda's sole elected representative to have won a state seat in the 2022 Johor state election.
She secured the Puteri Wangsa seat with 22,884 votes, defeating five challengers, including Ng Yew Aik of Barisan Nasional and Steven Choong of Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM).