Johor polls: Fierce fight between BN and PN at Felda Endau

Located about three hours' drive from Johor Bahru city, Endau, known for its quiet and peaceful town, has turned lively following the Johor state election campaign which started last Feb 26.It will be fierce battleground in the five-cornered fight for the Endau seat in the Johor polls set for this Saturday (March 12).

The stiff fight will be between incumbent Alwiyah Talib of Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional's Mohd Youzaimi Yusof, while the other contenders are Fakrulradzi Mahmud of Pakatan Harapan, Mohd Noorhisyam Ibrahim of Parti Pejuang Tanah Air and an independent candidate, Ismail Don.

During the campaign, Alwiyah and Mohd Youzami came up with various ideas and pledges to help develop the Endau state constituency and address issues related to the local community.

Contesting for the first time, Mohd Youzaimi Yusof, 48, who is also Mersing UMNO division chief, believes that BN can recapture the Endau seat, which has been the coalition's stronghold for a long time.

In the 14th general election, Alwiyah won the seat on the BN ticket before leaving UMNO to join Bersatu.

Mohd Youzaimi said the building of the new Mersing bridge was one of the things he would pledge for if he could recapture the Endau seat in this election.

"The Mersing bridge that connects Mersing town with other big cities needs to be repaired to avoid congestion during festivals. Insya Allah, if Datuk Hasni Mohammad is elected as Menteri Besar, we will build the new bridge.

Mohd Youzaimi, with vast experience in community and development activities, also pledged to fight for the construction of affordable housing to ensure the Endau residents, especially newly married couples, can have their own house.

For Alwiyah, many people are still unaware that Endau is a leisure and family vacation spot. Hence, the matter is one of her agendas that she would give attention to if she could retain the seat in the state election.

If Endau's unique natural beauty can be enhanced, the roads and facilities upgraded, it will attract more tourists to visit Endau, and the locals will benefit from this, "she said when met at Felda Endau recently.

Popularly known as Kak Awi to the locals, the 60-year-old woman who was crowned as AADK (The National Anti-Drugs Agency) Mersing Icon earlier this year, also pledged to ensure that the drug addiction problem in Endau can be eradicated through close cooperation with the agency.