Being the subject of humour and memes has not dampened Lee Kim Noor's spirit. On the contrary, the 59-year-old Muda candidate welcomed the free advertising.
Stressing that age is not a barrier to serve, the lawyer, who will be contesting the Batu Uban seat in Penang, cited how former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is still active in politics.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, Lee (above) laughed at questions regarding those targeting her based on age and for representing Muda, which is perceived as a platform for youths in politics.
"In fact, the jokes help with free publicity. If you say 59 cannot enter politics, we have a 98-year-old still active in politics, so how can 59 be considered old?"
"Look at the leaders who are governing the country. Aren't they all over 60? Well, let them (critics) help me with some publicity," she said.
On the same note, the mother of three said there were those from her generation who commended her boldness to step up to make a difference.
Although Muda is identified as the political voice of the younger generation, it does not have an age limit and Lee wants to make people aware that it welcomes older members as well.
"I want to show that Muda can also include seniors," she added.
She also viewed it as an opportunity to share her experience with the younger members, noting that the nation’s future depended on the latter.
According to Lee, Muda’s most attractive facet is that it is a multiracial party in the truest sense unlike other parties which claim to be the same but their membership showed otherwise.
Empowering concept
Apart from this, she said Muda is also gender-balanced, having an equal number of male and female candidates.
Describing this as an empowering concept for women, Lee said this was another reason for her gravitation towards Muda.
“Women have to balance between family and work.
“Encouraging them to step out of their comfort zone and enter politics is a significant breakthrough,” she said, adding that political parties should look into greater female representation in politics.
Lee also pointed out that Muda does not segregate its members into wings based on gender, which she believes is a healthier model.
"Muda is also a party with liberal thinking. Our politics is not based on race or religion, it breaks free from these frameworks, which have created chaos in Malaysia,” she added.
On whether she is able to feel the pulse of the youth, Muda’s targeted demographic, Lee said one of her children is in university while the other two are in secondary school, and this helps her keep tabs on issues affecting the younger generation.
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