Youth leaders say Amanah deserves ‘more face’

December 17, 2023

Youth leaders say Amanah deserves ‘more face’

KUALA LUMPUR: Amanah Youth members are demanding that the party be accorded more respect, and say the party is being sidelined by political leaders in the current government, according to several grassroot leaders.

The members say the party should be given “more face”, while one grassroot leader contended that the party had been pushed further down the pecking order after the recent Cabinet reshuffle.

On Tuesday Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim appointed party strategist Dzulkefly Ahmad as health minister, a post he held from 2018 to 2020. However, Armizan Mohd Ali from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah was appointed domestic trade and cost of living minister, the post held by Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub until his death in July.

An Amanah Youth source said: “We have been with Pakatan Harapan from day one, and yet we feel like we are being treated like outsiders, while parties who joined the unity government coalition have been given more face”, referring to Umno.

He said the likes of Umno and Gabungan Parti Sarawak were overshadowing Amanah, despite the party playing a crucial role in securing 81 seats for PH in the general election last year.

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“Most of us are certainly unhappy with the current situation. We the youth feel that the Amanah brand is fading, with people only affiliating it to Mat Sabu (the nickname of party president Mohamad Sabu)”.

Another Youth leader said the party was very much in need of a new leadership lineup to “save the party from the doldrums”.

“We are not against the current leadership but we feel the party is stagnant and not progressing. In order to progress and gain more attraction among the youths especially, we need a fresh face to take charge,” said the leader from Negeri Sembilan.

He said the current leadership did not have much focus on the party’s future and claimed that they were only out to secure their own interests.

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An Amanah leader from Pahang accused the current leadership of not doing anything to woo young people. “The only leader the public knows is our party president and even that is because of his humour.”

All three leaders claim that most of their members held the opinion that Amanah was fading into the background and was in need of a new crop of leaders.

A total of 124 candidates will be contesting for 27 positions in the Amanah party elections to be held during its 2023 national convention on Dec 23-24 in Klang.