Mak Chee Kin, the chairman of Magpie (Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education) has his work cut out. He is contesting against three big coalitions: Pakatan Harapan (PH), Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN).
He accused all three of greed for power and said ordinary Malaysians were paying the price due to their rivalry with one another.
“It’s all very messy,” he told FMT. “I don’t agree with certain things that are happening, especially the greed for power and all the different parties trying to topple each other.
“It’s like a game of chess. They make their moves, thinking they have checkmated the other party, not aware they themselves have been checkmated.”
Mak said he made his decision to contest after learning that people on the ground were thinking it would be a waste of time to vote as the political landscape had returned to square one.
He said he would advocate for increased funding and recognition for NGOs, an anti-hopping law, a ban on hate speeches and a quality lifestyle for his constituents in the midst of the pandemic.
Mak’s main mission is to focus on education, particularly to ensure the continuity of the dual language programme and highly immersive English language programme.
“My focus is to ensure that every child born in Malaysia be given a chance for education even if he or she does not have proper documents,” he said, adding that he would fight for equal access to facilities for all schools in Melaka.
Mak has been involved in many NGOs and held positions in some of them. He was chairman of the Tun Fatimah College parent-teacher association, treasurer of the Guang Dong Association and vice-chairman of the Malaysia Booksellers Association.
“I’ve been involved in NGO work for the past 32 years and my record speaks for itself,” he said. “The public can find out about my performance in all these organisations.”
Asked whether he would support a party if elected, Mak said he had not thought about it but would be friendly with the ruling party if it enabled him to carry out his mission.
“As an independent, I’m free to voice out my opinions without abiding by the rules of any party,” he said. “I don’t want to be tied down to any party policies.
“In spite of discouraging words from others, I’m offering myself and stepping forward as a citizen to fight for people in Bandar Hilir. This will provide a message to all politicians that we are aware of what’s happening and that they should not take us for granted.”
Mak will be contesting against MCA’s Lee Kah Sean, DAP’s Leng Chau Yen and Gerakan’s Clarice Chan.
The Melaka polls are slated for Nov 20, with early voting on Nov 16.