PETALING JAYA: A student by day, an election candidate by night.
Life could not get more hectic for the country’s youngest election candidate in GE15, Muhammad Syahmi Suhaimi, but he is loving every minute of it.
Despite his keen interest in politics, the 23-year-old is not about to give up his studies.
Syahmi is a final year Bachelor of Civil Engineering student at Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) and is contesting the state seat of Tambun Tualang in Perlis under the Pakatan Harapan ticket.
“There is no way my parents would allow me to contest if I halted my classes, what more if I dropped out of school to become a candidate.
“They made me promise to attend my classes as I normally would and I have been keeping my end of the bargain,” he told The Star.
On mornings when Syahmi has to attend lectures, he will go on the campaign trail in the evenings and into the night.
If the next day is a class-free day, he would extend his campaign hours till after midnight.
“I would not want to stay up too late if I have classes the next day as I want to focus on my lectures.
“Although I am interested in politics, I am not about to sacrifice my studies. Education is my safety net,” he explained.
Syahmi, who was born in Penang, said he has quite a good knowledge of Malaysian politics and its happenings, thanks to his family.
“My family is somewhat involved in politics and I guess that is how my interest began.
“In fact, when I was a child, I told everyone that my ambition is to become prime minister,” he laughed.
Syahmi said he decided to contest in the elections because he wants the youth in Perlis to be given better facilities and opportunities.
“From my observation, not much is being offered to youth here, especially in Tambun Tualang. If given the opportunity, I want to push for this.
“Youth are the country’s future and the needs and aspirations of the future must be given attention,” he added.
The youngest of two siblings, Syahmi has his brother to thank for when it comes to giving sound advice about the law.
“My brother is in the police and he constantly reminds me of the don’ts in life, including during campaigning. I am thankful to have someone watching out for me,” he said.
On the other contenders for the seat, Syahmi said he has a good relationship with them and respects them as elders.
“We all met for the first time during nomination day (on Nov 5). I have bumped into them on several occasions when I was out and about campaigning. If we happen to meet, we will chat for a while, exchange friendly banter and have a good laugh.
“Despite us being on different corners in politics, I can seek their views and advice. They are happy to part with their experience and knowledge, for which I am truly grateful,” he said.