by Anisah Shukry
The Malaysian Insider
May 27, 2014

Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud said last night a vote for her in this Saturday’s Teluk Intan by-election will send five messages to the long-ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

The DAP candidate told a crowd of about 3,000 people in Anson Industrial Park, Teluk Intan, that casting a vote for her would tell BN that the people rejected the rising price of goods.

“We oppose the rising prices of goods. Before the (13th) general election (last year), they promised all sorts of things. Now, the promises are forgotten. The (price for) electricity has increased, petrol has risen, sugar has risen.

“But our salaries have not risen, although our blood levels have increased. We reject the rising price of goods,” she said.

She said voting DAP would also show BN that they rejected racist politics, noting that the ruling pact constantly used race to divide the people.

“I don’t know why they keep trying to divide us. As the government, they should be uniting us,” said Dyana.

Yesterday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Chinese were “ungrateful” for voting DAP in last year’s general election.

He said the Chinese traders and businessmen owed it to the Malays and the Indians for their thriving businesses. Yet, once wealthy, they voted for DAP instead of BN, Zahid had said.

Dyana said: “If they (BN) want to play racial politics, go ahead. The rakyat can oppose their racial politics.”

The third message, she said, was voters rejected political violence and hooliganism, as BN supporters had often harassed her since she began campaigning here.

“The other day, we went to campaign, they caused a disturbance, they didn’t allow us to meet the locals and voters. They stopped us.”

Last week, several thugs revved their motorcycles in Dyana’s direction while she was on her walkabout.

“The fourth message is that we are giving recognition to women and increasing the number of women in Parliament. Teluk Intan has never had a female representative. This might be the first time.

“Last, we must send another young voice to Parliament. So we have five pecial messages for the BN-Umno government by voting me in.”

She also promised voters she would raise local issues in Parliament, including a school BN had promised to build in 2012 in Kampung Bahagia with an allocation of RM27 million.

“They said it would be done by this year, but I looked at the site, and there is not even a sign there. Never mind a RM5 billion highway, they cannot even fulfil their promise of a RM27 million school,” said Dyana.

She was referring to the West Coast Expressway launched by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Sunday, which he had claimed would bring huge growth to Teluk Intan once completed.

“If I am given the mandate, I promise I shall work hard for Teluk Intan. If I were working for myself, five hours would be enough. But I will be working 24 hours for the people of Teluk Intan,” said Dyana.

Later, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said at the same ceramah that Teluk Intan residents would “profit twice over” by voting in Dyana.

He said that if Dyana won this Saturday, she would become a young MP representing their interests, while her rival, BN candidate Datuk Mah Siew Keong, would become a minister “through the back door”.

“As a minister, Mah will be able to deliver all his promises in his manifesto, and you will have Dyana as an MP to keep an eye on him,” he told the audience.

Mah had unveiled his manifesto yesterday and among his promises were to make the Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan a Unesco World Heritage Site and to have a sports stadium and university built in the constituency. – May 27, 2014.