Ahmed Azhar

Hi, I’m Ahmed. I’m running as the socialist candidate for Croydon in the upcoming state election.

I’m a programmer in the renewables industry and a local renter. I’m running to be your representative for Croydon.

For the past two years I’ve been part of the movement for peace and justice in Palestine, fighting for our government to take a stronger stand against Israel’s genocide. Last year, I was arrested in my home and briefly jailed under anti-protest laws passed by the Malinauskus government. No matter the consequences though, I won’t be intimidated out of standing for what’s right.

Politics is rigged for billionaires and big corporations. Banks, developers and property investors are making huge profits, while for everyday people, life has gotten harder.

Labor claims to stand for workers. But under Malinauskus’ watch conditions of life for many have declined. Malinauskus was elected on the promise of fixing the healthcare system, yet after four years in power, ambulance ramping has only gotten worse.

It’s time working-class people and all those left behind by the current system fought back.

A government that puts people and the community before profit could easily solve these problems. We could freeze rents for five years to give much-needed relief to renters. We could establish a public builder and build 20,000 new houses over the next four years to get people off the public housing waiting list and into secure housing.

We could solve the crisis in the healthcare system by delivering wage rises and better conditions to staff, and spending more to increase bed numbers and fund bulk-billing clinics.

Instead of this, Labor under Malinauskus has diverted public money to the war industry so South Australia can be the ‘defence state’ and home of AUKUS. He’s stood against the movement to end Israel’s genocide in Gaza, contributing, through his actions, to the cancellation of Adelaide Writers’ Week.

None of this is good for workers and the poor. We need money for housing, healthcare and education, not weapons and other military hardware that ends up contributing to wars in the interests of Israel and the US.

If I’m elected to parliament in March, I’ll fight to scrap subsidies for the weapons industry so we can spend more on things our community actually needs. I’ll continue to stand up for Palestine, push for more investment in sustainability and renewable energy, and fight to make our state somewhere that everyone, no matter their background or circumstances, has what they need to live a decent life.