KUALA TERENGGANU, Malaysia (Reuters) -
With little money or
manpower, a barely literate 89-year-old Malaysian grandmother
running for parliament in Saturday's general election has
turned to cyberspace to reach out to her voters with a Facebook
profile and her own blog.
The woman, the oldest election candidate in Malaysia and
quite possibly in the world, is waging an uphill battle to
wrest a seat in the country's northeast from the ruling
coalition.
"This is very tiring," Maimun Yusuf told Reuters during a
break in her campaign for the 83,000-strong constituency of
Kuala Terengganu, capital of oil-rich Terengganu state.
"I have been going non-stop since nomination day but a lot
of people are helping me out, so I'm not pulling out," said the
woman, a textile trader with seven grandchildren and 19
great-grandchildren.
Maimun, who gets around on an old bicycle, surprised her
townfolk when she turned up to register on February 24 as an
independent candidate in a three-cornered race.
Most of them, like her, are Muslim Malays. With little
money and resources, Maimun is relying on some 24 volunteers
and the Internet to get her message across.
Her Internet savvy supporters helped set up a page for her
on Facebook, the global social networking Web site. They are
also running a blog for her
(www.maimunbintiyusuf.blogspot), though she can barely read
or use a handphone.
"Alhamdulillah (Thank God), I am happy. I hope it can serve
as an example to younger people. They just sit and complain and
since no one I knew was willing to fight, I decided that I had
to be the one to do it," she said.
So far, she has spent 20,000 ringgit ($6,319) on her
campaign, using most of her savings.
Asked about her election message to voters, she said: "I am
upset when I see a lot of youths turning to drugs and there are
not enough schools. If chosen, I will make it all better."
(Writing by Jalil Hamid; Editing by Bill Tarrant)
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