AS a local boy who grew up and continues to reside in Sungai Buloh, Pejuang candidate Mohd Akmal Mohd Yusoff feels he is the best person to be the voice of the people in the parliamentary constituency.
“I was raised in Bandar Baru Sungai Buloh and now reside in Denai Alam,” said the father of three aged between one and nine.
"I use Jalan Sungai Buloh regularly to send my oldest child to school in Kota Damansara, so I can relate to the pain faced by motorists stuck in traffic for at least an hour for a distance that is less than 10km.
“I feel there hasn’t been much changes in terms of road infrastructure and traffic congestion over the past few years because the elected representatives did not reside in Sungai Buloh or grew up here.”
Better known as Komal among his family and friends, the 39-year-old said he spent his primary school years in SK Bandar Baru Sungai Buloh and SRA Paya Jaras, then continued his secondary education at two Mara Junior Science College boarding schools.
Komal, who pursued a masters degree in mechanical engineering in Germany, has been working in the oil and gas industry since 2009, in both technical and sales roles.
The political newbie said he now runs his own consultancy for oil and gas-related projects.
“After I joined Pejuang in May last year, I was given the opportunity to serve as its employment and human capital exco.
“One of the causes that I focused on as exco was the welfare of p-hailing workers. I had engagements with them and handed over memorandums highlighting their plight to the companies they worked for,” he said.
Besides traffic congestion and p-hailing workers, another issue Komal wants to champion is the welfare of military veterans.
“It’s a cause close to my heart because both my parents served in the air force and I have relatives who work in related fields,” he said.
“There are many military voters in Sungai Buloh because they chose to reside there after retiring from service as there are a few camps in Sungai Buloh.
“They need better healthcare services, so perhaps Hospital Sungai Buloh could consider having a designated lane on a specific day for military veterans to seek treatment,” he suggested.
Komal said it was high time for Sungai Buloh voters to have an MP residing in the constituency who understood what local residents faced daily.
Sungai Buloh will see a seven-way fight in the 15th General Election.
Komal will be up against Khairy Jamaluddin (Barisan Nasional), Ramanan Ramakrishnan (Pakatan Harapan), Mohd Ghazali Md Hamin (Perikatan Nasional), Ahmad Jufliz (Parti Rakyat Malaysia) as well as Independent candidates Syed Razak Alsagoff and Nurhaslinda Basri (Sifu Linda).
