GEORGE TOWN: An interesting facet in the four-cornered fight for the state assembly seat of Pantai Jerejak in Penang involves a battle between the youngest and the oldest candidates in the state election.
Muda’s Priyankaa Loh, at 26, is multilinguist with a unique background.
Her opponent, Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s (PRM) Ravinder Singh, 80, is a consumer advocate who also has a keen eye on governance issues.
Loh, a teacher, says little attention has been given to the B40 group in her constituency. She said parents are keen for their children to get a good education to lift them out of the clutches of poverty. If elected, she promises free tuition classes for poor children.
“As a teacher, I always want to fight for education. If I were to win in Pantai Jerejak, I will give free tuition classes every week, for primary students, that is something that I can do and will promise to do,” she said.
Loh also said that unlike the former assemblyman, she intends to be present for every state assembly sitting.
“I’ve been staying here for eight years, I have never seen him once,” she said, referring to home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
“And another thing is he’s not from here. He’s not a local, unlike me. I’m a local. No matter where I go, I still have to come back home. My home is right here,” she said.
Loh, an ethnic Chinese but raised since birth by an Indian single mother, has a unique background. She attended a Chinese-medium school in her primary years and received her secondary school education at Convent Light Street.
She reads and writes in English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil, and is also conversant in Hokkien.
Asked about her chances against the other two mainstream parties, Loh said: “I’m a winnable candidate.”
Ravinder, on the other hand, brings a wealth of experience and wisdom to the fight, advocating the preservation of Penang’s environmental and urban planning integrity.
He saaid unchecked overdevelopment on the island has brought about detrimental consequences.
“We were told by the state government that from 2020, flash floods would be a thing of the past in Bayan Baru. But it is still there.
“There is no forward thinking. Bayan Baru was built on padi land. In the 1980s when it was developed, drainage was adequate. (Today, those) same drains cannot sustain heavy rains,” he said.
Despite his age, Ravinder believes he still has a role to play in politics.
He said old-timers can remind the younger generation to not repeat the mistakes of the past, adding that he has seen the best of the 1950s “deteriorate” into what exists today.
“Experience is what is needed in making change possible,” he said.
Perikatan Nasional’s Oh Tong Keong and Pakatan Harapan’s Fahmi Zainol and are the other candidates vying for the seat.
Oh is Penang Gerakan chief, while Fahmi is a rising star in PKR Youth.
According to the Election Commission, there are 29,890 eligible voters in Pantai Jerejak.
In 2018, the Chinese community formed the largest bloc of voters with 50%, followed by Malays (37%), Indians (11%) and others (0.72%). - FMT
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