IPOH, March 31 — The saying goes "if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again,” and MCA’s young Keranji candidate Daniel Wa is aiming to prove that right.

Wa has learned his lessons from his defeat in the 13th general election five years ago and aims to cause an upset in his second attempt for the seat.

In 2013, Wa was Barisan Nasional’s (BN) youngest candidate at the tender age of 25.

He contested the state seat of Keranji, which is one of three seats in the Kampar parliamentary constituency, along with Malim Nawar and Tualang Sekah.

It was a tough task for any MCA candidate, let alone a young buck like Wa as DAP’s Chen Fook Chye has held the seat since 2004.

He ended up losing the seat, garnering 5,110 votes to Chen’s 10,671.

Now 30, Wa is gearing up for his second shot at the seat, having gained valuable experience along the way.

"I was very young during the previous election. In fact, the first time I ever voted in an election was for myself!

"This time, I feel the stress but I’m more relaxed and familiar with the process. I’m more prepared and I know the plan,” Wa told Malay Mail.

Since the loss, Wa has made Kampar his home, serving as the New Wah Loong village chief from 2014 to 2017 and MCA’s Kampar division secretary till now.

Wa believes in the importance of going door-to-door and seeing first-hand what the people of Kampar need.

He feels that his work on the ground could help him win in the coming battle.

"Voters want to see you do work and we have been working hard. It’s also important to build a personal connection with the people.

"Some locals openly tell me that they didn’t vote for me in the previous election, but now they have changed their mind. That touches me and I believe that they appreciate what we do.”

Besides his usual duties as village head, he has also tried to raise the village’s profile by helping locals find larger markets for their products.

"Some of the housewives and single mothers here bake pastries and biscuits. We help them repackage their food to make it more eye-catching, and we distribute them at large national party events and gatherings.

"Now, we have tourists coming to New Wah Loong village from other states like Melaka and Johor,” he said.

Wa plans to focus on improving Kampar’s infrastructure if he wins by building more affordable housing and by upgrading the drainage of Bandar Baru Kampar, an ever-expanding township that is home to Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman.

Talk is rife that Wa could be facing another young candidate in the form of DAP’s Chong Zemin, but Wa is focused on his own fight.

He knows well that his second chance might be his last chance at running for office, at least for a while.

"It may be my last chance if I lose for a second time. But I don’t feel any extra pressure.

"Whoever I face, I can only do my best. Everyone has a vote and it’s up to them to choose which candidate will really help the people, and which one will only promise the moon and the stars,” he said.