Dr Siti Mariah: Seri Serdang voters concerned with basic needs.
SERI Serdang in Puchong, Selangor, is a challenging state seat that requires a young candidate, says its incumbent assemblyman Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud.
The 65-year-old, who is also chief of Amanah’s women’s wing, states this as one of the reasons why she is retiring from politics.
“I don’t want to contest again. I have promised my family that I will be there for them this time,’’ said Dr Siti Mariah, adding that she had dedicated 15 years of her life to public service.
Selangor Amanah chief Izham Hashim, when contacted by StarMetro, said the party would respect Dr Siti Mariah’s decision.
“We have two names, but I cannot reveal them yet.
“I will say that they are young but not without political experience. And they are quite well-known.
“Seri Serdang is a very important seat and we are going to defend it,’’ Izham added.
In the 2018 General Election, Dr Siti Mariah won with a total of 27,088 votes against Datuk Mohamad Satim Diman from BN-Umno (12,725) and Noor Hanim Ismail from PAS (5,552).
Incidentally, all three candidates were once incumbents in Seri Serdang.
StarMetro learnt from a source that Noor Hanim will not be contesting either.
The source said PAS, which is part of the Perikatan Nasional coalition, will field a younger candidate said to be an ustaz (religious teacher) who is well-known in the area and the right fit.
Meanwhile, Mohamad Satim declined to comment when asked by StarMetro, only saying: “It is too early. I will let you know later.”
Prior to winning the Seri Serdang seat under Amanah, Dr Siti was Kota Raja MP for two terms in 2008 and 2013 which she won as a PAS candidate.
As an assemblyman, Dr Siti Mariah had mostly focused on senior citizens.
“My handicap was the younger generation, I did not spend enough time with them or get to know them better,’’ said the Selangor public health, unity, women empowerment and family committee caretaker chairman.
On her future plans, Dr Siti Mariah said she would spend time with her family and carry out welfare work.
“I have six children and 22 grandchildren who want me to spend more time with them while I am still healthy,’’ she said.
On the state constituency, Dr Siti Mariah said Seri Serdang borders Puchong and Serdang and is separated by the LDP (Damansara-Puchong Highway).
“Servicing such a large area was difficult, so I opened two service centres, one in Taman Seri Serdang and another in Puchong,’’ she said.
She highlighted that the state constituency had a lot of B40 families and many small villages.
She said these voters there were concerned about bread-and-butter issues.
“Most who visit my service centres had already tapped into all the available benefits but still needed help,” she said.
