‘YB Hulk’ Norhizam ready to contest in Melaka polls

Former Pengkalan Batu assemblyman Norhizam Hassan Baktee, commonly known as "YB Hulk", has expressed his readiness to contest in the upcoming Melaka election. The deputy chief of Hang Tuah Jaya Bersatu revealed that his name has been included in the list of potential candidates, though the specific seat remains undecided. Norhizam emphasized that he is open to contesting any seat, as long as his name is on the ballot, stating, "I don’t mind contesting any seat.

What matters is that I get to contest and my name is on the list. Wherever you put someone who can do the job, they will make it work." Despite his desire to continue serving in Pengkalan Batu, Norhizam acknowledged that several factors need to be taken into account, such as competing claims for the seat. Notably, Norhizam was a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) during the 2018 state election when he was elected to the Pengkalan Batu seat.

However, he left the party in 2020 and became an independent assemblyman, supporting the Umno-led state government. As an independent, Norhizam sought to defend the Pengkalan Batu seat in 2021, but lost to Barisan Nasional's Kalsom Noordin by a narrow margin of 131 votes in a five-way contest. In the past, Norhizam has been involved in controversial incidents, including a heated argument with villagers over a road closure in Bukit Beruang, for which then Melaka chief minister Adly Zahari apologized on his behalf.

Additionally, in 2020, a tense exchange in the Melaka state assembly saw Norhizam repeatedly refer to former party colleague and Kota Laksamana assemblyman Low Chee Leong as "babi".