In a country that is becoming increasingly divided due to racial politics, DAP’s young leaders are fighting back and creating hope wherever they go.

Skudai candidate Marina Ibrahim is no exception.

She wants to put an end to the disappointment and apathy felt by the younger generation towards politics in the country and bring back optimism.

She sees politics as a way forward to fight for your community and your country and as a way to bring people together no matter the race, religion, age or gender.

She has used her time in DAP well, working hard for the community with the aim of connecting the people of Johor directly to their elected reps.

As she prepares to face her opponents in the upcoming Johor election, she is still organizing several programs aimed at empowering the local community to fight for a better standard of living.

This includes a mobile counter where residents could go to get information regarding how to seek assistance from their local representatives.

Many people unfortunately never get past the red tape and bureaucratic measures and give up before they receive aid from government programs meant to address their needs.

Young leaders like Marina (whose sole focus is on helping the community) are bringing a new dawn to the sordid racial politics played by Barisan Nasional for decades.

Marina understand the ins and outs of racial politics first-hand from having joined DAP, a party that has been the victim of smears to taint DAP’s reputable image.

As Lawyer Syahredzan Johan puts it, “It is a narrative that has been repeated for decades, so much so that it has become ingrained in the collective psyche of the Malay community. BN, especially Umno, needed a bogeyman to justify representing itself as the one and only ‘defender’ of the community.

Marina admits that she once had DAP’s monthly newspaper thrown at her by local residents. However, that incident did not break her spirit.

“Some of them did not like it, some of them even spat. But before this when I worked with YB Teo Nie Ching (MP for Kulai), I saw how she faced the situation. She remained calm,” she said.

Even though Marina has faced discrimination and smears for simply trying to do her job and help the people of Johor, she has an indomitable spirit that allows her to keep fighting for what’s right.

“I adhere to the principle that elected representatives come from the people and must return to serve the people.” – Marina Ibrahim