On May 31, DAP’s one-term assemblyman Marina said she will not defend her Skudai seat in the next state election and would step away from politics.

“Other parties have approached me, but I have respectfully declined their offers,” she told Berita Harian.

“I will not return to politics. I believe there are many ways to serve the community that don’t necessarily involve politics.”

Marina, 38, also dismissed claims on social media that she was afraid of contesting in Malay-majority constituencies, saying she has been involved in political fieldwork in such areas since 2021.

She said she was assigned to Layang-Layang in 2021 to carry out grassroots work, including establishing a community centre and building local support, with the expectation that she would eventually contest the seat.

“At that time, I was still new to politics and was tasked with building support in a rural constituency where the majority of residents were Malays.

“I was also expected to face (Johor caretaker menteri besar) Onn Hafiz Ghazi, who was then the Johor tourism, youth and sports exco member.

“As a Malay woman who has campaigned in villages and Felda settlements, and was even spat on while campaigning, I am certainly not someone who is afraid of entering Malay areas,” she said.

Marina eventually stood in Skudai in the 2022 Johor polls, where she won with 26,359 votes, defeating Barisan Nasional’s Lim Soon Hai (12,416 votes) and Perikatan Nasional’s Khoo Keng Ek (6,258 votes).

After Marina’s announcement that she was leaving politics, Johor DAP chairman Teo Nie Ching revealed that the party had planned to move Marina to contest the Tiram seat.

Teo also said she had intended to propose Marina for the chairmanship of a statutory body regardless of the outcome of the next state election.

The Johor legislative assembly was dissolved on Monday, paving the way for the 16th state election to be held within the next 60 days.