GEORGE TOWN – Muda’s most senior candidate in age has expressed her hope that voters will not be persuaded by the narrative that “third force” parties are contesting in the six state elections just to split votes between Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional (PN).
59-year-old lawyer Lee Kim Noor said that contrary to popular belief, the new age of politics sees genuine candidates trying to seek support through platforms such as Muda to represent the people.
“We shunned both PN and the PH-BN alliance because we feel we do not have a place in such big coalitions. They are all about power grabbing and are not issue-centric,” she said.
“When I ask the women leadership of such blocs about what women can do in their parties, they preferred to not provide a direct answer,” she claimed.
“They brought me to cooking and sewing classes when they should be exposing women to the new age of employment, such as computer skills and green technology.”
Lee is running for the Batu Uban seat in the Penang state election on August 12.
The five other states having elections the same day are Kedah, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Kelantan and Terengganu.
Lee told The Vibes that she is campaigning on three strategic points: re-establishing racial harmony after some three decades of polarisation; preparing society for an ageing nation; and climate change.
Lee wants candidates to be clear on issues when contesting instead of hiding behind manifestos that eventually do not get fully adopted after each election.
Further, the voter base has matured and subsequently wants credible candidates instead of just switching between PN or PH-BN, said Lee.
She believes that there is a place in Malaysian politics for “third force” parties, including those who have ties to the non-governmental organisations.
The former Penang Ratepayers Association chairman said that she chose Muda because it is vibrant, in addition to wanting equal representation for women in politics.
“Age is just a number. I am sweet 16 plus 43. After all, there is one politician now aged 98,” she quipped, in an obvious reference to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“Muda also did not bring me to any cooking classes or to teach me how to become a housewife.
“I believe women can play a bigger role in society, and they should not be treated like second-class citizens,” she said.
Lee also hopes to bring up the issues of traffic congestion and housing, saying that before the Penang government approves a new housing project, it must ensure that there is adequate infrastructure to cope with the surge in people and vehicles.
Likewise, Lee said, the quit rent assessments for the island are flawed, noting that she will expose the alleged oversight by the state government on this matter during her campaign. – The Vibes, August 7, 2023
