Same goals: Ting will be contesting the Bukit Antarabangsa seat in Selangor while Ravinder is vying for the Pantai Jerejak seat in Penang.
PENANG: Age is but a number and is not a hindrance to the oldest and youngest candidates in the six state polls.
At the age of 81, Ravinder Singh, who is vying for the Pantai Jerejak seat in Penang, is the oldest to be contesting in this election while the youngest is Melanie Ting, who at the age of 23 is eyeing the Bukit Antarabangsa seat in Selangor.
Ravinder, who is contesting under the Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) ticket, said he feels good about contesting and believes he has an advantage.
“Being older gives me the advantage of having experienced both the good and bad of politics and its outcomes.
“It is important to see the differences and where things had gone wrong,” said the retired educator.
In GE15, the PRM deputy president contested the Bayan Baru parliamentary seat but lost in the six-cornered fight, securing only 251 votes.
Ravinder said there are a few problems that need to be addressed in Pantai Jerejak.
“The flooding in certain areas seems to have no solution. There are massive traffic jams near the Queensbay area,” he said.
Ravinder is looking forward to campaigning and though he only has a small group of helpers, he believes he can make a difference.
“In the meantime, I keep healthy and make sure to go for my morning walks,” he said.
The octogenarian is a former secondary school senior assistant and a former lecturer at a college in Sungai Petani before retiring in 1993.
He then pursued a law degree and has been an activist with the Consumers Association of Penang for the past 20 years.
Ravinder is facing a four-cornered fight against Fahmi Zainol (Pakatan Harapan), Oh Tong Keong (Perikatan Nasional) and Priyankaa Loh Xiang Pin (Muda) for the Pantai Jerejak seat.
On the other end, Ting, the youngest candidate, believes age does not matter when it comes to elections and she believes that she can win the hearts of old and young voters.
The law graduate has been spending her time over the last month going to the ground to meet voters in Bukit Antarabangsa.
“There is no difference between the old and young, we are all Malaysians.
“The voters are open to seeing a new face with new ideas. I’m excited to put my manifesto to work, which is driving environmental protection, youth empowerment and good governance,” she said.
Ting, who is representing Muda, is in a three-cornered fight against Perikatan Nasional’s Lyna Abdul Latif and Mohd Kamri Kamaruddin of Pakatan Harapan.
