The former lawyer turned activist and businessman said being a new candidate meant that he did not have any “political baggage” or controversies that might turn voters away, something he believed were issues for the other parties in contention.
Ridza said politicians in the other coalitions frequently argued among themselves, and this had only exasperated the people.
“Be it the government or the opposition, they all have their own conflicts and it is very confusing for the people. That aside, voters are tired of the old politics,” he told FMT.
He added that after more than 60 years of independence, racial politics was no longer relevant to the progress of the country.
After working as a lawyer for 12 years, Ridza ventured into business and social activism, before going on to start an NGO called Ehsan Johor which focused on helping those in need in Pasir Gudang, especially in Permas.
His efforts to help the people got him noticed and eventually led to Warisan offering him a platform to expand his passion on a larger scale.
“Helping people is my passion and when Warisan offered me a platform to do that, I said why not.”
Warisan is fielding six candidates for the Johor polls. Like Ridza, the others are also fresh faces – Hishamuddin Busri (Pekan Nanas), Sandara Segaran Arumugam (Bekok), Mohamed Noor Suleiman (Mahkota), Victor Chen (Johor Jaya), and Lee Ming Wen (Bukit Batu).
Ridza will be in a five-cornered fight for Permas against Syed Othman Abdullah of Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional’s Baharuddin Md Taib, Perikatan Nasional’s Arifin Nasri, and Pejuang’s Mahaya Ahad.
More than 50% of voters in 2018 in Permas were Malay, while Chinese voters make up close to 30%, according to data from the Election Commission.
Ridza pointed out that wealth disparity was the main issue in Permas, with some living below the poverty line. He hoped to tackle this issue and improve the living conditions of those who are from the low-income bracket.
“Things will not be easy because I have to be realistic, even if all six candidates of Warisan won their contested seats, Warisan would still be in the opposition bloc. However, Warisan would still voice the people’s aspirations, regardless of which side we are on,” he said.
In the last general election, the Pakatan Harapan candidate from PKR won in Permas with 28,793 votes for a 8,746 majority over his closest rival from Barisan Nasional.