First-time female candidates face new battles, old prejudices

Undeterred: (From left) Ang, Wong, Puteri Holijah, and Thulsi are not going to let trivial matters dampen their campaigning spirit.

IPOH: From battling the weather and Covid-19 to staving off misogyny, first-time women candidates in Perak are taking it in their stride.

MCA’s Ang Sui Eng, who is contesting the Pokok Assam state seat in Malaysia’s wettest town of Taiping, said the weather has been quite unsettling.

Thus, she would make sure her campaigning kicks off by 7am every day.

“Usually, after 3pm, it would start to rain in Taiping, so my team and I are all ready by 7am to start our day with walkabouts and door-to-door activities.”

In the late afternoon, there would be more indoor events.

PKR’s Wong Chai Yi, vying for the Simpang Pulai state seat, tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday and nearly lost her voice due to the virus.

Since she had to be quarantined, she said her team went ahead with campaign activities while she remained on standby for video calls to greet supporters.

“The same goes for ceramah. I would attend virtual live-streaming and Facebook Live sessions,” said Wong, who is the secretary to former Gopeng MP Lee Boon Chye.

She said she was lucky that some supporters and team members had sent medicines, supplements and fruits to her house after finding out that she was down with Covid-19.

Puteri Holijah Muhamad Rali, the Bersatu candidate in the Hulu Kinta state seat under the Tambun constituency, has had to deal with some unwanted attention.

“They sometimes make disrespectful comments, but that encourages me to work even harder.

“At the same time, I am grateful that most people accept me as a candidate,” she said.

Buntong’s DAP candidate M. Thulsi Thivani said some people do not take her seriously as they feel she is too young.

The 34-year-old lawyer, the daughter of former Teluk Intan MP M. Manogaran, said she often had to deal with patriarchal views.

Her banners and posters had been removed, too, she said.

“But at the same time, I do get support from those who believe in me.

“I get a lot of support from housewives and their daughters. They say things like, ‘You are young and we stand with you. You have given us hope’,” she added.