JOHOR BARU: Tired of all the political drama by some politicians in the country, a stage performer has decided to enter politics, and is making his debut as an independent candidate in Johor.

       Adzrin Adam promises a different kind of campaigning – he plans to incorporate busking, poetry reading and pantun on top of the typical ceramah to convey his message.

       He said he has been in the arts industry for 25 years and had often injected politics and current affairs into his performances.

       “I thought that instead of just voicing out about issues on stage, I should try to do it on the real political arena. I will be fighting for integrity in leadership, against corruption and also promoting the arts,” said the 46-year-old when met after filing his nomination at the Dewan Raya Taman Pelangi Indah nomination centre here yesterday.

       The Puteri Wangsa state seat will see a six-way battle.

       Asked if he was nervous about venturing into politics, the father of one said that being a stage performer, he was trained to have confidence and rarely had butterflies in his stomach.

       “I did get the jitters coming to the nomination centre but it quickly went away when I reminded myself to focus on carrying the people’s voice as a candidate and elected representative if I win,” he added.

       Barisan Nasional candidate Ng Yew Aik from MCA said he was quite familiar with the community’s needs and knows the right channels to help them due to his 15 years in politics.

       He had been a special officer and secretary to two Tebrau MPs – Teng Boon Soon and Khoo Soo Seang – and served as councillor in three local governments in the Johor Baru area.

       “I have served in the Johor Baru City Council, Pasir Gudang Municipal Council, and Johor Baru Central Municipal Council (now known as Iskandar Puteri City Council), so I am no stranger to the locals.

       “I am banking on my experience of knowing how to get things done and I hope to help in the economic recovery of businesses and improve public facilities such as roads,” said the 57-year-old.

       Also in the fray are political newbie Amira Aisya Abd Aziz from the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda), Perikatan Nasional’s Loh Kah Yong, Parti Pejuang Tanah Air’s Dr Khairil Anwar Razali and Parti Bangsa Malaysia’s Steven Choong Shiau Yoon, who is also Tebrau MP.

       Amira Aisya, 27, said she had no qualms about “walking alongside giants such as Choong”, as she is determined to show that a female candidate was up for the fight, too.

       “Being a rose among the thorns is no issue for me either. My aim is not to fight for a certain gender, race or age group; I want to provide service to all Malaysians.

       “After filing our nominations, I had the chance to speak to the other candidates and we all agreed to engage in healthy and mature politics,” she said.

       Puteri Wangsa, a state seat under the Tebrau parliamentary constituency, has 112,804 ordinary voters.