Johor polls: Anyone can achieve their dreams with hard work, says Paloh state seat candidate

KLUANG: Being born to a humble background need not be a barrier to achieve great things in life, and Paloh MCA state seat candidate Lee Ting Han has proven that one can achieve success despite many hurdles.

The 32-year-old lawyer, who holds a Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge, said anyone could achieve their dreams with hard work and dedication, including a “kampung boy” like him.

He said his journey had never been easy.

“There were a lot of challenges and hard work involved, but it was definitely worth it,” he said in an interview here.

Lee read law at Universiti Malaya in 2010 after completing his schooling before joining the Perdana Fellowship programme, where he had his first experience in national governance.

Following his graduation in 2014, he joined the Prime Minister’s Department as an administrative officer.

“I have always wanted to achieve more in life. After three years in the civil service, I decided to pursue my Master’s degree in Britain in 2018,” he said.

Recalling his postgraduate days abroad at Cambridge, Lee described it as “an inspiring and enriching journey”.

“I spent a year there and it really opened my eyes and changed the way I think.

“Being surrounded by bright people who are big thinkers with great ideas was a great push for me to work harder, too.

“I felt inspired and motivated that I could be as good and make a difference in society,” he said.

Lee, whose late father was a teacher in Paloh, said that contesting the state seat felt like “coming home” as the small town was a big part of his childhood.

“Our family has been returning to our house in Kampung Chamek quite frequently since I was young.

“Although some of my relatives have passed on, including my father, we still have the kampung house, which has become my temporary operations room and rest station during the campaign,” he added.

Lee said he would continue to draw strength from his academic and professional experience to raise issues affecting the people and community.

The Barisan Nasional candidate is in a four-cornered fight in Paloh, going against incumbent Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali from Pakatan Harapan, V. Selvendran from Perikatan Nasional and Aminuddin Johari from Pejuang.