'Underdog' PN candidate not backing down from 6-way fight in Setiawangsa

Lawyer and activist Nurul Fadzilah Kamaluddin is a newcomer to the political arena but is not shying away from a fight with more established names for the parliamentary seat of Setiawangsa in the Nov 19 polls. 

Fadzilah, who represents Perikatan Nasional, is one of a number of young candidates with professional careers being fielded by the coalition. 

She is up against the incumbent, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad of Pakatan Harapan, and four others. 

Nik Nazmi won the seat in 2018, beating his competitors from Barisan Nasional and PAS with a majority of 14,372 votes. 

Fadzilah, who is chief of Bersatu young women's wing, said she see politics as the best platform to help the people. 

Speaking to MalaysiaNow, she said she had been active in the field as a lawyer for a number of years already. 

"I became more active in 2020, when I began interacting more with the people to offer them help following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic," she said. 

When asked about her odds against big names like Nik Nazmi, she said she was optimistic although she preferred not to be overconfident.

"Every candidate has his or her own strengths," she said. 

"We don't have a specific strategy, but we are looking to draw in the youth votes. So apart from going down to the ground, we are also actively campaigning on social media and trying to bridge the gap with the youth." 

Fazilah, who has worked as a lawyer for eight years, said if she is chosen to represent the people of Setiawangsa, she has 10 initiatives to offer based on feedback from the residents. 

This includes attending every event, official or unofficial, to become more familiar with the people and tackle their problems more effectively. 

"I have also received complaints about hawkers, with many saying there has been no action yet."