The Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate in Tanjung Keramat, Shahelmy Yahya, will focus on efforts to improve education for youth if he is elected as the state assemblyman on Saturday.

Shahelmy, 44, said he would also focus on improving waste management and the drainage system to resolve the problem of flash floods.

He said optimising human resource by harnessing knowledge was key to developing the constituency as some 60 per cent of its electorate is from the youth group.

“Today, we are in the era of technology and information which develops rapidly.

"So, our young people need a strong foundation in knowledge in order to reach a high level of competitiveness,” he told Bernama today.

Shahelmy, a civil engineer by training, said empowering the youth in Tanjung Keramat could make them competitive not only locally but also globally.

Shahelmy, who hails from Kampung Sipanggil Putatan, also pledged to intensify economic and business activities in the area, even during the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) period.

The RMCO is an occasion for traders to adapt to digital technology and tap business opportunities, he added.

"We will see how to boost economic and business activities through digital technology based on the new normal,” he said.

Tanjung Keramat, one of the 13 new seats in the 16th Sabah state election, has 14,350 voters, 58.42 per cent of whom are aged between 21 and 39.

Shahelmy is involved in a five-cornered fight with Faezah Ibnu of LDP, Mohd Salleh Lamsin (USNO), Ira Uzair (PCS) and Rosdy Wasli (Warisan) in Tanjung Keramat, within is the Putatan parliamentary seat.

-- BERNAMA