Simon Lee eyes late father's seat

By SHEILA SRI PRIYA | streets@mediaprima.com.my 

12 April 2013

http://www.nst.com.my/streets/central/simon-lee-eyes-late-father-s-seat-1.253622

NOT UNDER A PARTY: Newcomer is among two independent candidates vying for the Bukit Gasing state seat

PETALING JAYA: AT least two independent candidates have confirmed that they will be vying for the Bukit Gasing state seat in the upcoming 13th General Election.

Simon Lee, 34, is the son of the late Bukit Gasing assemblyman, Edward Lee, who had won the seat in 2008 under the DAP ticket.

The other independent candidate is Mak Khuin Weng, 38.

Simon announced his candidacy at a press conference yesterday.

Unlike his father, Simon was never a DAP member and had no intention to run under any party.

He plans to start a new "dynamic situation" which will allow for more independent candidates to truly champion the people's voice, he said.

Simon aims to continue his father's legacy of championing public interests above all else.

It took him close to two years to plan for the election campaign which he said was initially meant for his late father who had expressed his intention to run as an independent candidate.

The senior Lee had felt that he could do more for the people as an independent elected representative rather than one representing a political party.

Edward, however, died on Dec 20, 2011, after an illness.

"If my dad was alive he would have contested as an independent candidate this time around and detached himself from the party.

"This was because my dad felt that his hands were tied when he was in DAP. For instance, he was not kept in the loop on the PJ Sentral project in Section 52 although he was the assemblyman for the area.

"My dad was not informed about the project although he was the assemblyman and when he called for public hearings on it, he was told to be less vocal," said Simon, who grew up in Section 5, here.

Simon added that he had initially approached Selangor DAP to present his views for the upcoming elections. However, it did not go down well with the party.

"I had officially written to the leadership of Pakatan Rakyat and DAP to announce my intention of contesting as an independent but in collaboration with Pakatan Rakyat and DAP.

"But my proposal was turned down and I was told that DAP would field its own candidate.

"The reason given was that it would start a precedent and it will not go down well with party members," he said.

Simon added he was also inspired by the Australian politics whereby more candidates chose to contest as independent candidates.

Among the areas which Simon hoped to champion is the freehold status, issues related to the local council governance and security. His main platform of campaigning will be the online medium.

Mak, who was appointed as a councillor under the DAP quota, served in the Petaling Jaya City Council from 2008 until 2011.

Mak, who is not a DAP member, said he hoped to represent the people's interests.

"My voters are the ones who will be giving me the mandate and I will serve them. I will also make sure the public is well aware of the law and their rights to be able to question any wrongdoing," he said.

N34 Bukit Gasing

Simon Lee says he will be able to serve the people better as an independent candidate