KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Television Producers Association (PTVM) president Datuk Jurey Latiff Rosli has announced that he would be contesting for the Lenggong parliamentary seat in Perak under the PKR banner in the 15th General Election (GE15).
Jurey who also hails from Lenggong made the decision to delve into politics for the first time in order to develop the tourism economy of Lenggong which is not well known even though it has been declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
"In fact, I have been residing in Lenggong for the past four years since 2018. So, while in Lenggong I see many things that can be done here.
"Among them is a plan to develop the tourism economy because Lenggong is known as the third World Heritage Site after the cities of Melaka and Georgetown, Penang.
"If we look at the tourism sector, this place has yet to be developed well and its location is still not known to many.
"Actually, Lenggong should be a centre for tourism visited by millions of people but this is not the case which is sad. There are many interesting areas that outsiders are not aware of.
"So, I think by going into politics, I can help create more job and economic opportunities for the people here which will aid in bringing down the poverty rate in the vicinity," he said in a recent Harian Metro report.
Jurey added that he had plans to build Studio Filem Lenggong to create over 5,000 job opportunities especially for the youngsters if he wins the Lenggong Parliament seat.
"There are not many youngsters in Lenggong. Most of them have relocated to Kuala Lumpur to look for better opportunities. So, the overall population here is made up of older people.
"What's sad is that I see many rundown and long vacated houses here when this area should be thriving. So, to build up an economy for the people, I have to go into politics.
"Since moving back to Lenggong, I have conducted filming here. My dream is to build Studio Filem Lenggong which will provide job opportunities for the people here such as for catering, building rest houses and having the youngsters work as crew members.
"For the past four years, I have established an official Lenggong TV channel on Facebook where I have been tirelessly promoting Lenggong and it has succeeded in garnering over 86,000 followers with the uploaded videos getting over 26 million views," he said.
Jurey added that he was thankful to PKR president, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and its vice-president, Mohd Rafizi Ramli, for believing in him to contest for the Lenggong parliamentary seat.