JOHOR BARU: Tebrau MP Steven Choong Shiau Yoon has been announced as the candidate for the Puteri Wangsa seat under the newly formed Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) in the coming state election.

       Choong’s candidacy was announced by PBM deputy president Haniza Mohamed Talha, along with three others, namely PBM vice president Muhammad Saiful Bahari Sahari for the Stulang seat, PBM Tebrau deputy chief Mohd Azmi Ali for the Tiram seat, and PBM Youth Exco Mohd Hanis Mohd Salleh for the Maharani seat.

       He also stated that the decision to run for the Puteri Wangsa seat was made by the central committee, which he fully accepted despite the fact that he is already the MP for Tebrau.

       “One of the reasons why I accept the decision is that there have been a lot of requests from the residents of Puteri Wangsa for me to provide aid for them, especially during the pandemic and the recovery period.

       "Holding a position in the parliament does not mean that I have authority over my constituents; that power comes from the state government, so if I am given the chance to be in the state government, I believe that I can provide a better service,” he said.

       He said this during a press conference at the PBM’s candidate announcement ceremony at Dewan Dato’ Chellam, Taman Dato’ Chellam, here on Thursday (Feb 24).

       Meanwhile, Haniza said that PBM’s decision to contest four seats compared to the earlier plan of only two seats was made after conducting a survey in the contested area.

       “The majority of the public in this area wanted a change and wanted political leadership that could provide a better service.

       "Even though half of our candidates are new to politics, they have been exposed and have experience serving the people," she said.