GEORGE TOWN: Age is not a barrier to politics as Ravinder Singh (pic) - Penang's oldest candidate in the 15th General Election (GE15) - has proven.
The 80-year-old Ravinder said that after being invited by his friends to fight for people's rights, he decided to join Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) and stand as a candidate for the Bayan Baru parliamentary seat.
"Despite my age, I have been getting positive feedback from the public upon standing as a contestant in the upcoming GE15," he told Bernama when met here.
He said the people he met during his walkabouts are very happy to see him contesting.
As a measure to keep up with a healthy lifestyle, Ravinder said he exercises 30 minutes every morning as well as have a balanced meal and also remains active in hiking for about an hour from Esen Hill to Rimau Island every weekend.
Apart from being involved in politics, Ravinder said he and his wife also run a small home-schooling children's education centre.
"My wife and I started the Brass Bells Children's Academy in 2003. We have about nine children joining us now. We offer the lowest fee, about 35% lower than the normal price," he said.
Ravinder aspires to educate the community to become a better generation by emphasising a proper education for the betterment of the country.
He was a former secondary school senior assistant and lecturer at a college in Sungai Petani, Kedah before retiring in 1993.
After retiring, Ravinder pursued law and was an activist with the Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) for the past 20 years.
Ravinder is in a six-cornered fight in Bayan Baru. The other candidates in the fray are the incumbent Sim Tze Tzin (PH-PKR), Ooi Chuan Aun (Warisan), Saw Yee Fung (BN-MCA), Oh Tong Keong (PN-Gerakan) and Kan Chee Yuen (Independent).
