My intern, Tunku Ameerah shares her GE14 experience

Post-SPM, I had decided to try my luck at applying for an internship with a local then-opposition politician. Unfortunately, I enrolled in a college much earlier than expected, and A-Levels being the tough pre-university course that it is, forced me to dedicate much of my time to my studies.

At the end of February, there was an opening for an internship with YB Nik Nazmi. I saw this as an opportunity certainly not to be missed—even if it meant having to balance both work and college concurrently—considering that the General Elections were to be called in the near future at that time.

From the get-go, despite being inexperienced, YB Nik Nazmi entrusted me with various tasks; putting together write-ups, managing his social media accounts, and of course being on-the-ground with him, of which I am grateful for.

I also participated in activities which were organised by INVOKE to garner more support in the Setiawangsa constituency, which included data entry, phone banking and canvassing.

On a typical day, pre-elections, my colleagues and I would be actively distributing flyers to the local community, helping them check their respective voting districts and recruiting Polling Agents and Counting Agents (PACA) for the constituency. These were notable experiences as through them, I mastered the art of rejection and dealt with it head on, there and then.

I was also expected to tag along with YB Nik Nazmi for any events he was invited to—events organised by his fellow PH colleagues, by the Malaysian youth as well as local community events. Through such events, I was able to meet and interact with other politicians up-close & personal and people of all walks of life.

On the job, I corresponded with a wide network of people. These were not just people working at the Setiawangsa office or within the constituency, but also staff of other politicians, academics and media on behalf of YB Nik Nazmi.

Nearing elections season, my daily routine became even more interesting than it already was. I travelled out of state with YB Nik Nazmi for events and talks which were held in order to further strengthen PH’s position in marginal constituencies and constituencies which were under the administration of the then-government.

During the 11-day campaign period, the mood changed. We saw a huge transition in voters’ response in the Setiawangsa constituency. It was certainly refreshing to see how the constituents were beginning to be more courageous about openly expressing their political leanings and therefore expressing their support for YB Nik Nazmi.

On 9 May 2018, things changed for Malaysia, substantially. To be able to see the change, live during the change and most of all, be a part of that change means a lot to me. To say that I was elated when it was announced that we had won Setiawangsa and won at Federal level would be an understatement. I was beyond that.

Throughout my internship, it was the amount of exposure I was privileged to have that allowed me to be more in-touch with the local community and local political scene I once thought I knew enough.

At the age of 18, to be able to have such an experience is unparalleled and of incalculable value. The past 3 months have taught me countless lessons, with having significant mental toughness and being open to criticism as the rule of thumb. I am filled with gratitude and am looking forward to participate in frontline politics.