Multiple choices: (Top row, from left) Siti, Lee, Ravee; (bottom row, from left) Lian, Nur Fathiah @ Cleo and Chua.
KUALA LUMPUR: Ten Independent candidates are contesting in five of the 11 constituencies in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.
Or to put it another way, 52 candidates are fighting for 11 parliamentary seats, none of which will be seeing any straight fight like the old days.
While political observers opined that most Independent candidates are likely to lose their deposits, their participation in the electoral process is crucial as they bring a fresh perspective to the fight which is usually dominated by familiar faces.
“Some are high-calibre candidates with strong manifesto, and they are sending out clear messages to voters,’’ said Dr Azmi Hasan, a senior fellow at Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research.
“Kuala Lumpur voters are educated and they want to hear more than just the average promises from candidates about unclogging drains or patching potholes. They are looking at the big picture, sustainable living, flood prevention, climate change – long-term plans.”
Another political observer said he did not expect any Independent candidate to win.
“It’s good that Independents are putting up a fight, but I doubt that anyone would win. It’s going to be very hard even for Tian Chua. But I do hope that they don’t lose their deposits,” he added.
Tian Chua, whose real name is Chua Tian Chang, is a former Batu MP who is contesting as an Independent in his former seat, which is seeing a 10-cornered fight.
He will face off with incumbent P. Prabakaran from PKR, the person he endorsed in the last election, as well as lawyer-cum-activist Siti Kassim. Another colourful name in the mix is Nur Fathiah Syazwana@Cleo while Too Gao Lan is also an Independent there.
Seputeh is also seeing an interesting mix of candidates, with one such person being Lee Wai Hong, 42.
“I am not stupid. I am just idealistic,’’ Lee said, referring to his decision to contest in a DAP stronghold against Teresa Kok.
“I want to make an impact and push for ways to prevent our democracy from being hijacked again,’’ he said, referring to the Sheraton Move.
Lee, the former Youth Chief of the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly, wants to push for a Recall Elections Act, which enables “defectors” to be removed through the calling of a by-election.
“If I can retain my (electoral) deposit, I will donate it to SJK(C) Yoke Nam in Taman OUG,’’ he said.
Echoing a similar sentiment is Ravee Suntheralingam, 60, who is contesting in Wangsa Maju.
Ravee, who was previously with PKR, and had worked to put two Wangsa Maju MPs in Parliament, is pushing for urban poverty eradication, clean governance and proper procurement procedures.
“I left PKR due to internal tussles,’’ he said.
While Ravee and Lee are open about their goals, another Independent in Seputeh has remained somewhat of a mystery, and only interacts with the media via WhatsApp, although she did address a ceramah a few days ago.
Lian Choy Ling is registered under the name “Choy San Yeh”, which is Cantonese for God of Fortune. Lian said she is contesting because “she had no candidate to vote for”.
“Many people around me are angry with Pakatan Harapan, so they choose not to vote. I have come across people who expressed feelings of anger, of being betrayed, and disappointment,“ she said.
However, analysts think that the clash between pure idealism and established ideology during a general election usually results in a one-sided outcome.
National Professors Council senior fellow Dr Jeniri Amir described Independents going against huge political parties akin to a mouse deer between two elephants.
“They are fighting uphill battles,’’ he said. They may have reasons for doing so, but they don’t stand a chance,’’ Jeniri added.
While Batu has been described as a winnable seat for an Independent - Prabakaran did it in 2018 before joining PKR - Azmi feels PKR will most likely retain Batu.
“In Malaysia, politics is never about a candidate, no matter how good he or she is. It’s always been about toeing the party line,’’ he said.
Another seat to watch is Titiwangsa which will see a four-way tussle between PKR, Barisan, Perikatan Nasional and Pejuang.
All eyes are on Barisan’s former MP and Finance Minister II, Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, who will be facing former Federal Territories Minister and Shah Alam incumbent Khalid Samad from Amanah, who is contesting under the PKR ticket, as well as in Bandar Tun Razak, where PKR’s Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will go against Barisan’s Datuk Chew Yin Keen, and incumbent Datuk Kamarudin Jaafar from Bersatu.
The other independents in KL are Yee Poh Ping (Kepong) and Maj Meor Rosli and Stanley Lim Yen Tiong, both in Setiawangsa.
