AMID the politicking on both sides of the divide in GE14, Malaysia Decides is focusing on what parliamentary candidates will stand for and what they rate as the country’s most urgent problems. We ask them five questions about their role as federal lawmakers, if they are elected.

Barisan Nasional’s candidate for Bagan, Michael Lee Beng Seng, is only 36, almost two decades younger than his main rival for the seat, Pakatan Harapan heavyweight Lim Guan Eng, who is also Penang’s caretaker chief minister.

Other contenders in the four-cornered fight are from Parti Cinta Malaysia and the Malaysia United Party (MUP)

Lee, an IT businessman, is Penang MCA Youth chief and a first-time candidate.

Although his name translates as “brilliant victory”, Lee faces a daunting task in winning over Bagan’s more than 71,500 electors.

The seat has been with DAP for the last seven terms since 1986, but Lee said voters’ reception towards BN have been encouraging.

Q: What will you fight for in Parliament?

Lee: If I am elected, I will do my best to ensure we continue to progress in areas like education and the economy. I will fight to preserve our stability and harmony.

Q: What are the three most urgent problems in the country?

Lee: I think Malaysia as a country has been doing well. Perhaps our political scenario is an issue.

Sometimes there is too much hatred from the opposition’s side… we see all sorts of personal attacks. That is not good for the country and it sets a bad example for the younger generation.

Fake news spreading on social media is a problem. It makes slander so common. We are a democracy but fake news can be dangerous. They cause unnecessary trouble for the people.

Q: What is the solution?

Lee: To tackle fake news, we already have the new law in place. I think it was a good move.

Q: What is the state of the nation?

Lee: Malaysia continues to grow. Our GDP (gross development product) still grew in recent years even when the global economy was not doing well. The prime minister worked very hard to build and strengthen our bilateral ties with other countries for business and trade to grow.

Q: Why should voters pick you?

Lee: I am working with a team of young people in this campaign for Bagan. We would like the opportunity to serve and help the locals. We just hit the ground and we are hearing about problems like floods and lack of job opportunities. We are compiling a list of issues faced by Bagan folk. We promise to resolve them if BN wins the seat.

For Bagan, I also want to improve its tourism potential and make it a tourism hotspot. We have many attractions here like the local food and temples. We can attract Chinese tourists. We can link Bagan with the One Belt, One Road initiative. Malaysia already has good business ties with China. I believe developing tourism in Bagan will be good for the low- and mid-income groups in the constituency. – April 29, 2018.