GE15: ex-teacher candidate seeking ‘to educate’ gets tepid response

SANDAKAN – Lita Tan Abdullah has yearned to educate after ending her service at a secondary school here but chose a peculiar way to do it – she became an independent candidate in Sandakan.  

The former English teacher said she wants to educate people on the true function of an MP and on democracy, as well as to trigger critical thinking and a paradigm shift.  

“Recently, I was shocked to know there are those who are in Parliament (but) who have not even read any act when it is their core business to deal with it. No wonder many of our acts have not been updated, hence they are obsolete today as we are advancing into the digital age.  

“That is why many conflicting issues happened. A head of department undergoes (prior) training and courses and even needs to pass certain examinations related to the position. 

“But MP candidates come from various backgrounds; some are businessmen, some are simple village folk, et cetera, yet are tasked to be lawmakers or policymakers of the nation,” she said.  

Lita said this in a WhatsApp group that she created named “Ulang Kaji Untuk PRU 15” (revision for GE15). She added more than 400 people, most of whom did not know who she was and left the chat group.  

Lita said the WhatsApp group was formed to help voters understand politics better. She said the election is like an exam; she called polling day “examination day” and the polling centre the “examination hall”.  

She also posted several exam-like questions. For example, one of them was: “What is the function of an MP?” No one answered.  

From nomination day itself, Lita seems to have avoided the press, saying that she does not want publicity.

She has not conducted any overt campaign activity to date and is the only candidate in Sandakan who is not known to have put up any posters or campaign materials.  

The Vibes was added to the WhatsApp group Lita created on Monday, and this writer used the platform to ask questions.  

Lita explained that many of the candidates are not well-versed in the law, and many have been campaigning as if they were running for president of a city council, instead of a policymaker.  

“My worry is amongst the 945 candidates, apart from the seasoned lawmakers or policymakers with years of experience, how many realise the heavy responsibility they must hold (as policymakers) as their core business?” she asked.  

Lita might have a sincere reason for becoming a candidate, but a WhatsApp group might not be the best avenue to achieve her mission to educate people. 

More than half the members left the group in a few hours. – The Vibes, November 17, 2022