Elizabeth Wong in The Star

Published by myoetan | Filed under In The Press

Activist with a mission
The Star Online > Election2008
Friday February 29, 2008

WANTING more Opposition say in the Selangor state assembly spurred human rights activist Elizabeth Wong to make her debut as a contestant in this general election.

There were only two state assemblymen from the Oppo-sition from the last election and too little voice to make the state assembly accountable, she said.

The PKR women’s information chief is facing Barisan Nasional incumbent Datin Paduka Yong Dai Ying in the Bukit Lanjan state seat.

“I don’t know her personally but I feel that it is time residents put someone in the state assembly who is not afraid to speak up and to fight for their rights,” said Wong, who was PKR president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail’s parliamentary aide.

“Selangor has the highest crime rate in the country and I hope to work with the residents, if elected, to make it a safer place. It is ridiculous to hire security for a housing area,” said Wong, who represented Maxwell Towers during the oral submissions of the draft local structure plan for Petaling Jaya in 2002.

A win would be a timely birthday present for Wong, whose birthday falls on March 9, the day after polling day.

A former National Human Rights Society secretary general, Wong said she joined PKR after the last election because she felt that there was still a lot of work to be done.

The Bukit Lanjan constituency includes Bandar Utama, Bandar Sri Damansara and Kayu Ara. There are 25,550 residents in Bukit Lanjan of whom 52.8% are Chinese, 31.8% Malays, 14.7% Indians and 0.7% others.