GE15: Independent candidates offer something different

KUALA LUMPUR: The 15th general election (GE15) records the highest number of independent candidates in election history with a staggering 108 candidates, each bringing different offers to the table.

Among them, Wangsa Maju Independent candidate Ravee Suntheralingam offers the constituents freedom from urban poverty if he wins the seat this Nov 19.

Ravee, 60, of Gerak Independent (GI) movement, believes urban poverty is inter-related with high cost of living and low salary among young Malaysians resulting from an outdated education system.

"First, you need to fix the people's income that is determined by education, you need to fix the cost of living and the important thing is food sustainability, as well as the quality of life that is affected by corruption," he told Bernama.

He said the people's livelihood depends greatly on laws passed by the parliament and internal corruption within the government will jeopardize the country as a whole.

Ravee also said that initially he approached Gerak Independent without any intention to participate directly in the election, but the lack of suitable candidates led to his candidacy in order to improve Wangsa Maju.

Meanwhile, Batu independent candidate Siti Zabedah Kassim or better known as Siti Kassim is motivated to tackle the 'use of religion' in political agendas as she disagrees with the current political stage.

The 59-year-old activist said being in the legal profession gave her a new set of lenses to detect the issue in terms of law and the actions that can be taken.

"I do feel using religion in politics is really a problem in this country and nobody wants to touch it because it is deemed as sensitive.

"When I say using religion in politics, it means we must separate the use of religion in government, meaning that we must return the power of management to the Sultan as per our Constitution according to the law," she said.

If given the chance, she said she would change the education system to ensure the future generation become good critical thinkers by including four core subjects such as technology, math, science and language.

Seputeh Independent candidate Lee Wai Hong on the other hand calls for the implementation of a recall election as one of his offers in his manifesto to win votes in the Seputeh constituency.

The 45-year-old self-employed website engineer said the turmoil in the country's political climate could be avoided if such acts were to be implemented.

"I believe one of the causes for chaos in the current political situation is because we have no right to recall elected representatives once the election is over.

In his manifesto, Lee also advocates for transparency in handling constituency affairs, and aims to tackle the numerous issues plaguing Kuala Lumpur such as flash floods, under maintenance of infrastructure facilities, over development and election for mayor of the city.

-- BERNAMA