PONTIAN, 8 APR: Roketkini.com coordinator Mahdzir Ibrahim, 37, has been announced as the DAP candidate for the Tanjong Piai Parliament seat in Johor, last night.

The announcement was made by DAP Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang before a 1,000 strong crowd at a ceramah in Taman Indah, Parit Mesjid here. Spirits have been high in the southern state as the Pakatan Rakyat Johor election machinery gears up to face the 2013 election, receiving enthusiastic response from the local residents.

Mahdzir is a national executive council member of the DAP youth wing, DAPSY. In his speech, he stressed the importance of unity among all races in Malaysia and emphasized that Malaysians are wise and do not buy the threats and racist sentiment being spread by the UMNO-BN government.

“DAP has proven that we struggle for all races. All this while, BN has been lying to us with false accusations. MCA lies to the Chinese, UMNO lies to the Malays, MIC lies to the Indians.”

“We need political change, we need to make a change for a Malaysia that is clean, transparent and with integrity,” said the DAPSY Pakatan Rakyat Youth Bureau Chief.

The Johor-born Mahdzir is well-versed in the arts and culture scene, he had previously worked as a consultant and coach in music for a local private institution.

Mahdzir also worked as a Communications Officer in the Selangor State Youth Secretariat after the new Pakatan Rakyat state government was formed in 2008. He later joined Roketkini as its Coordinator to spread accurate information and facts through the Malay language alternative media.

In his speech, Lim Kit Siang said BN is unable to accept the change in Malaysian politics and in the people’s perception, because the people are waking up to BN’s politics of deception and lies.

“They (BN) need race-based politics to remain in power. We must stop this and unite to bring back the spirit of the 2008 political tsunami to Johor,” he said.

During the ceramah, a group of youths believed to be from DAP’s political opponents showed up to disrupt the proceedings by revving their motorcycle engines loudly, before being chased away by the attendees.

The Tanjong Piai Parliamentary seat is currently held by MCA’s Wee Jeck Seng who won the seat with a 12,371 majority in 2008, beating DAP’s Ahmad Ton. -The Rocket