By: Azman Zakaria
SERDANG, 30 Oct – Kota Anggerik state assemblyman, Mohd Najwan Halimi has obtained his Master of Business Administration (Corporate Governance) of Putra Business School during the 42nd Convocation Ceremony, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), today.
The historical moment of being both a student and a politician started on the day he arrived in UPM on 23 April at 7pm to sit for an examination, the time in which he received a telephone call informing him that he might be announced as a candidate to run for the 14th General Election.
“They requested that I attend the convention in Kuala Selangor. I informed the lecturer straight away and asked to sit for a replacement exam.”
“I didn’t manage to sit for the exam that night even though I was prepared for it. I rushed off to Kuala Selangor, and the next day I wrote an official letter to the lecturer asking for an exemption in order to focus on the campaign that took place on the same day with the examination,” he said.
He eventually won the Kota Anggerik state seat with a majority of 7,004 votes in a three-cornered fight.
According to him, he sat for the exam a week after the election, alone.
“23 April 2018 is a sacred date that defines my direction in both education and politics. Praise be to Allah, I have achieved both by obtaining a master’s degree today and an elected statesman, earlier,” he said.
Mohd Najwan, 33, from Shah Alam added, his classmates were surprised to know that he was a candidate for the election because he did not reveal his involvement in politics to others.
“After they found out, many of them helped me with my campaign,” he said. The politician is a father of two, married to Dayana Wahid, 33, from Kuala Lumpur.
According to him, he started to gain interest in politics when he was an executive committee for Muslim Students Association at a local university.
He said that his career as a state assemblyman is definitely challenging, yet exciting as he is able to contribute to the society.
He added, “I have to be smart in managing time for the family, especially for the children who are still young. I usually allocate time for them, mainly during the weekends when I have no programme to attend.” He also jogs daily for 5 km.
Mohd Najwan who represented Hulu Selangor in tennis when he was in secondary school and the Petaling area in football when he was in primary school, hopes to empower himself in politics.
“I wish to establish myself in politics, and at the same time to continue my study in Doctor of Philosophy in the field of politics and administration or political science. – UPM
