A DAP son ready to take on dad’s mantle
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As the 14th general election approaches, The Malaysian Insight looks at new and young politicians who are being groomed by their parties to stand as candidates. One of the biggest grouses among the electorate is the lack of young leaders, as the heads of political parties, even in the opposition, are those who have been in politics since the 1980s. Where are the young to take Malaysia forward?
THE son of the DAP veteran Ahmad Nor, Amran Ahmad Nor, is ready to assume the mantle of becoming a people’s representative.
Like a few other young leaders in DAP, he vows to continue his father’s legacy and struggles for the people.
Should DAP nominate Amran as one of its new candidates in the 14th general election (GE14), he will join the ranks of Gobind, Ramkarpal and Jagdeep, who are continuing DAP giant Karpal Singh’s legacy, as well as Batu Kawan MP, Kasthuriraani Patto, daughter of another DAP veteran, P. Patto.
“I’m ready to be nominated to continue my late father’s struggles. He was well-known for his devotion to the party and struggles to make Malaysia a better place,” Amran told The Malaysian Insight.
The 41-year-old former journalist with Utusan Malaysia conceded that it is difficult to convince Malays to support DAP and Pakatan Harapan (PH) in GE14 but he is willing to take on the responsibility and challenge.
“We just want to change the government only, not the religion or the country totally. We want to change the ruling regime.
His father, Ahmad, was one of the few Malays in a party that is often accused and portrayed as a Chinese chauvinist party. When Ahmad died in 2003, he was DAP vice-president and Selangor DAP chairman.
Ahmad was also active in the union movement. He was the first Malay to lead the Congress of Union of Employees in the Public and Civil Services Malaysia (Cuepacs) between 1983 and 1986, and later became the deputy president of Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) in 1988.
Throughout his political career, Ahmad contested a few times in elections but won only once in 1990, as Bayan Baru MP.
From journalism to politics
Like Ahmad, Amran was active in the union movement before joining politics. He led the National Union of Journalists Malaysia (NUJ) when he was a reporter with Utusan Melayu Bhd.
Sharing his experience as a Utusan Malaysia reporter for almost a decade, Amran said the editor who interviewed him was surprised and puzzled that a son of a DAP leader would want to work with an Umno-owned newspaper.
“I was interested to write about the economy and my application was accepted,” he said.
“After a few years in Utusan, I started to become active in the NUJ in Utusan Malaysia.
“Later, I was elected NUJ Utusan Malaysia president and appointed as deputy secretary-general of NUJ Malaysia.”
His career with Utusan Malaysia came to an end in 2009 when he was dismissed over an industrial dispute.
“After being dismissed, (Lim) Kit Siang called and we met. I was tasked to manage DAP’s paper, Roket.
“Not long after that, I was appointed as a special officer to the Penang chief minister (Lim Guan Eng).”
In 2015, Amran went to the UK to pursue his master’s in business administration (MBA). Last year, DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua invited him to work with the party by managing and hosting the party’s online channel Ubah TV.
“I also helped to prepare publicity materials, especially in Malay.”
Although his father did not directly influence him to join any political party, Amran said his political struggle will continue to be dear to him.
“If in government, (we) must be fair and just, have integrity and fulfil the responsibility with trust.”
Amran said his experience as a journalist has helped him a lot in politics.
“In journalism, we learn to look for the truth. In politics, our struggle is to uphold the truth.” – January 26, 2018.