State polls: Umno Youth sets goal of 30 per cent young candidates

ALOR SETAR - Umno Youth aims for 30 per cent of the candidates nominated by the party in the upcoming state elections to be young individuals.

Its chief Muhamad Akmal Saleh stressed the importance of realistic and acceptable candidates who resonated with the aspirations of the people.

In line with this, he said Umno Youth would visit each state participating in the state polls to understand the aspirations of the people and the candidates they desire.

"We target that at least 30 per cent of the candidates presented by Umno in the upcoming state elections are new faces or youth candidates.

"But we also want to see the sentiment of the people. In certain areas, young leaders may not be accepted yet, so we will present more senior leaders.

"In other areas, they may want young leaders," he said during a breakfast session with residents in Kampung Panchor, Pokok Sena, on Tuesday.

On candidates in Kedah, Akmal said he would discuss with the state Umno chairman Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.

"InsyaAllah, we will meet with Tok Det (Mahdzir) this week to share the findings from our visits and have further discussions.

"I believe there will be candidates from the youth and young leaders in Kedah," he added.

Akmal also expressed satisfaction with the positive response received from other states, including Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

He had already held discussions with the respective state Umno chairpersons in those regions.