SHAH ALAM, Nov 30 – As Muhammad Hilman Idham takes over the leadership of Parti Pribumi Bersatus Armada, members have praised his leadership style and drawn comparisons with his predecessors.

Hilman, also the Gombak Setia assemblyman, took the helm of the youth wing after his victory in the last party election.

“I see that all previous Armada leaders had their strengths, but Hilman is more structured,” an Armada National Exco member, Ad Adib Shaharuddin, told Malay Mail.

Ad Adib said Hilman is more attuned to Malaysian politics compared to the first and second armada chiefs, Muar MP Syed Saddiq and Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal.

“Given that he studied at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and he was an intern with the current Indonesian president, he knows the local politics more,” he said.

Aziman Hadi Nazri, a member of Armada’s Supreme Council, said each leader has his own unique strengths.

“For example, if we look at Syed Saddiq, he has a huge following and has led to significant changes for the youth in terms of political awareness. Syed Saddiq has highlighted and translated political literature for the youth.

“But in the case of Hilman, he can reach all groups, not only the Malaysian community, but also international audiences,” he said.

Aziman pointed out that Hilman’s experience in PKR’s youth wing will bring a spirit of togetherness to Armada.

“His experience shows that he doesn’t create barriers that we need to break down to engage with him,” he said.

Former Armada chief information officer Mohd Ashraf Mustaqim Badrul Munir said Hilman has much more experience stepping in as Armada chief compared to the two previous leaders.

“The best thing is that he has a lot more experience, especially from his time as a student activist. Syed Saddiq was more of a contender; he got in by debating, but he never led any organizations. Saddiq went from being a debater straight to become a fellow for Nancy Shukri, but he never led any association or organization. But Alhamdulillah, he turned out to be a visionary, so that’s good.

“Wan Ahmad Fayhsal, on the other hand, was more of a follower, a thinker, a philosopher. He is but this kind of philosophical mindset is also found in Hilman; he has both, he said.

The current Kota Siputeh assemblyman believes Hilman has the potential to lift Armada to new heights.

“I really believe this because of his experience, his leadership and his idealistic mindset like Syed Saddiq, and he really has the experience from both sides, and that’s the great thing about him,” he said.

Mohd Ashraf Mustaqim witnessed Hilman’s first action as Armada chief yesterday during the Youth Aviation Convention here.

“There had never been such a setup before. It was the first time Armada had such a setup.

“I’ve been in the Armada for a long time, and I’ve never thought of a set-up like that and his organizational structure for the wing is the first really clear on who is responsible for what,” he said.

In his political speech yesterday, Hilman promised that Armada under his leadership would remain loyal and steadfast to the party president until the coalition regains power and forms the government again.