Johor: With four days remaining before the 16th Johor State Election on Saturday (July 11), Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for the Maharani state seat, Muhammad Taqiuddin Cheman, is refining his campaign strategy by focusing on issues close to the hearts of young voters, particularly employment opportunities, entrepreneurship, and skills development.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Muhammad Taqiuddin, fondly known as Taqi, said he intends to use the remaining campaign period to engage with young people through a series of engagement sessions with various youth communities around Muar to gain a clearer understanding of the challenges they face. The former Pulai Sebatang assemblyman (2018-2022) highlighted that the need to create more job and business opportunities is one of the issues most frequently raised by young people in the district.
He reported meeting with young entrepreneurs at District 84, who are seeking new business locations as they face limitations with the current space. "They have identified many places on their own, they just need someone to champion their cause and help them apply for these available sites within the Muar district," he told Bernama. Muar is often referred to as a 'retirement town' because many young people leave the district in search of employment, while others work in the semiconductor industry.
Muhammad Taqiuddin, previously involved in business, said empowering young people would be supported through PH's 'Johor For All' manifesto, which allocates RM500 million to assist young entrepreneurs in expanding their businesses. He also mentioned the Maharani Energy Gateway (MEG) project, expected to be completed soon, which will create more economic opportunities in the area.
The Johor Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) Youth chief expressed hope for the establishment of quality Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions in the Maharani constituency to develop a local workforce that meets industry needs, including providing second-generation fishermen with opportunities to improve their livelihoods. Other issues requiring attention include poor drainage systems affecting oil palm plantations and the shallow river mouth at Parit Raja Laut, which hampers fishing boat movements.
In the state polls, Muhammad Taqiuddin will face a four-cornered contest against Mohamad Anuar Hayan of Perikatan Nasional (PN), Datuk Ashari Md Sarip of Barisan Nasional (BN), and Muhammad Amir Fiqri of Parti Ikatan Demokratik Malaysia (MUDA).