First KYSER YB

Ridhwan Ali wins Ayer Molek in Melaka state election

The KYS Class of 2003 alumnus and former senator has secured his first electoral victory, 40 years after his father first won the same seat.

Kolej Yayasan Saad (KYS) alumnus Datuk Mohd Ridhwan Mohd Ali has won the Ayer Molek state seat in the Melaka state election held on Nov 14, according to results announced by the Election Commission. His victory makes him the first KYSER to be elected to a state legislative assembly.

Ridhwan Ali, a member of the Class of 2003 and the Hang Tuah Jaya Umno division chief, contested under the Barisan Nasional (BN) banner. He faced Melaka PKR Youth chief Muhammad Hakimin Mokhtar of Pakatan Harapan (PH) in a straight fight.

Ayer Molek has long been regarded as a BN stronghold. In the 2021 state election, BN’s Datuk Rahmad Mariman retained the seat with a majority of 2,802 votes. Rahmad was not renominated for this year’s contest.

The seat also holds special significance for Ridhwan Ali’s family. His father, Tun Mohd Ali Rustam, won Ayer Molek in 1986, the start of an electoral career that saw him serve as Melaka chief minister from 1999 to 2013. He is now the state’s Yang di-Pertua Negeri.

An engineer by training, Ridhwan Ali was elected unopposed as Hang Tuah Jaya Umno division chief in 2018, succeeding his father. He went on to serve as a senator in the Dewan Negara in 2022. Later that year, he contested the Hang Tuah Jaya parliamentary seat in the 15th general election, where he was defeated by PH’s Adam Adli Abd Halim.

Ridhwan Ali has previously spoken of his commitment to building his own political identity through grassroots engagement. For the KYS alumni community, his election marks a proud milestone and adds the state assembly to the many paths KYSERs have taken in public service.

Cemerlang extends its warmest congratulations to Datuk Ridhwan Ali and wishes him every success in serving the people of Ayer Molek.