Over the weekend, Malaysians in six states headed to the polling stations to vote for the new state assemblies. While some results have been shocking, none were more surprising than that of the Lembah Jaya state seat won by Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Syed Ahmad Syed Abdul Rahman Alhadad – a.k.a rapper Altimet.
The win granted the rapper the title of the first mainstream rapper and the first singer in the nation to win a state seat. He won with a majority of 6,707 over his opponent Sharifah Haslizah Syed Ariffin from Perikatan Nasional, garnering 26,116 votes.
Kadang perangai diam diam ubi berisi ni boleh timbulkan keraguan orang dalam kebolehan kita. Saya kurang minat kompangkan maklumat tentang diri saya, tapi sy harap infografik ni dapat menolong jelaskan. #LembahJayaBersama #ArusMerahKuning #KitaSelangor pic.twitter.com/852MXwezHq
— Altimet.eth (@altimet) July 31, 2023
While having a rapper in a state seat might be odd, the retired artist does have a good record. Starting his political career in 2021, the former performer officially became a member of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), a component of the PH coalition. Despite that, he boasted significant experience in the political field, even holding the position of constituency coordinator for Lembah Maju and Ampang PKR division chief.
Many locals have also vouched for his work, saying that the celebrity has been active in state political activities, including the Pesta Kita program hosted by the Menteri Besar of Selangor, Amirudin Shari. He’s also known to contribute to society, even extensively providing aid during the Movement Order Control (MCO) in 2021.
Interestingly, despite being the first singer and rapper to hold a state seat, Altimet is not the first celebrity to reach this achievement. The title goes to actress Datuk Kahidhirah Abu Zahar, known more familiarly as Dira Abu Zahar, as she previously secured the Rim state constituency in the 2021 Melaka state polls. Several other celebrities have tried their hands at politics, including Datuk Eizlan Yusof and Dr. Ahmad Idham, but they’ve all lost the election.
We can’t wait to see Altimet in action as the new DUN for Lembah Maju, and we wish him luck in his new position.
Sources: mStar, Instagram (1)(2), Twitter (1)(2)(3)
Adleena contributed to this article.
