During yesterday’s thanksgiving walkabout in Teluk Intan with by-election candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud together with DAP Perak and Teluk Intan leaders, I was asked by the press whether I had any regrets with the nomination of Dyana as the candidate.

Definitely not. As I told the press, we wanted to win the Battle of the Moment, but we also wanted to win the Battle of the Ages. 爭朝夕爭千秋

Although we suffered the setback of losing the Battle of the Moment with a razor-thin majority of 238 votes, it is all the more imperative that we should gird ourselves to ensure that we can triumph in the larger Battle of the Ages.

What Dyana and I find most heartening in our walkabout yesterday was the words of encouragement by the voters of Teluk Intan of all races, who advised Dyana not to be too upset by the setback of a defeat in the Teluk Intan by-election but to “live to fight another day” for the new politics of justice, freedom, accountability and good governance which is free from the politics of race.

Dyana’s candidature in Teluk Intan has signaled a new phase of Malaysian politics to break the gridlock of the politics of race which had shaped Malaysian electoral politics for over half a century.

We are now seeing a new awakening among Malaysian youths to go beyond the politics of race, but which is resisted and opposed by the Umno old guards who are pulling out all the stops to frustrate the forces of awakening and change.

The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee and UMNO MP for Pulai, Nur Jazlan, was perceptive when he wrote:

“’By losing a battle you find new way to win the war’. Ungkapan Inggeris ini, kini digunakan pucuk pimpinan dan pakar strategi pakatan pembangkang dalam merencanakan serta memikirkan strategi baru bagi menghadapi BN dan Umno.

“DAP sedar keputusan meletakkan Dyana dalam PRK Teluk Intan sebenarnya, adalah pertaruhan paling besar yang dibuat parti berkenaan selepas mendapat kejayaan cemerlang dalam PRU13 lalu.

“Bagaimanapun, mereka juga sedar kemenangan dengan calon ‘favorite’ parti berkenaan tidak akan mengubah sebarang status quo di Dewan Rakyat atau menumbangkan BN sebagai kerajaan pemerintah.

“Mereka (DAP) sama sekali sedar ‘habuan’ paling utama yang dinantikan adalah PRU14 dan sebab itu, parti yang sering dilabelkan ‘cauvinis’ itu, mengambil pendekatan untuk ‘test the water’.

“Bagi DAP walaupun kalah di Teluk Intan, parti berkenaan sudah mempunyai ‘bintang’ baru yang sudah pasti diketengahkan dalam PRU14 lalu, dan tidak perlu bersusah payah lagi untuk memperkenalkan Dyana kepada pengundi.

“PRK P76 menjadi gelanggang terbaik untuk memperkenalkan Dyana di pentas politik Malaysia, dan dengan segala pujian, kritikan dan cemuhan yang dihadapi gadis Melayu profesional berusia 27 tahun ini, saya perlu akui seluruh Malaysia sudah mengenalinya.

“Satu hakikat yang sebenarnya, gagal dieksploitasi sepenuhnya oleh BN serta Umno dalam memperkenalkan calon muda bagi menghadapi PRU14 dan sudah pasti Dyana boleh bertanding di mana-mana sahaja di semenanjung Malaysia termasuk bertanding berlawan dengan saya di kerusi Parlimen Pulai (sememangnya tidak asing bagi Dyana).

“Terus terang saya katakan dalam usia 27 tahun, Dyana sudah mendapat segala publisiti yang diperlukan dalam menyiapkan diri menjadi wakil rakyat DAP dalam PRU14 dan jika dibandingkan dengan diri saya pada usia berkenaan terpilih sebagai exco Pemuda Umno Malaysia pada 1996, namun, tiada siapa mengenali saya kecuali sebagai anak arwah Tok Mat, setiausaha agung Umno ketika itu.

“Inilah kelebihan yang diperoleh Dyana dan DAP bagi menghadapi PRU14 dan untuk seorang ‘rookie’ tetapi berjaya mendapat jumlah undi sebanyak 19,919, ia tetap sesuatu yang membanggakan bagi seorang calon ‘payung terjun’.

“Sesuatu yang perlu dibimbangi Umno, adalah peningkatan undi Melayu yang diterima Dyana dalam PRK Teluk Intan dan ia membuktikan pengundi Melayu kini, tidak lagi mengundi berasaskan parti tetapi turut mengambil kira soal bangsa calon berkenaan.”

But it is the former press secretary of second Prime Minister Tun Razak and former UMNO Youth exco member, Ahmad Mustapha Hassan, who delivered the coup de grace for UMNO in his latest article “Umno growing more infantile in its words and deeds”. He wrote:

“Umno’s successor Umno Baru has outlived its usefulness to the Malays and has also outlived the positive role it has played for the entire nation and its people.

“It is now an outdated political party due to its inability to rejuvenate with new blood and keep up with the times. This can be seen from the comments and statements being made by its present crop of leaders, showing lack of intelligence and sobriety.

“Even a young leader like Khairy Jamaluddin who is well educated has to come out in the spotlight with his rather stupid comment that the DAP candidate for Teluk Intan lacked experience. He has to be reminded that he was passed over when BN formed a new cabinet under Datuk Seri Najib Razak although he was head of Umno Youth…

“It is now replaced by a servile and sycophantic mentality. That is the reason why young, educated and intelligent Malays shun Umno Baru. They have no time and inclination for a party with such attitude and behaviour. Instead of having bright and intelligent members, Umno Youth is now infiltrated by thugs and gangsters.

“DAP has a sizeable crop of young, intelligent, educated and purposeful cadres of Malaysians. PAS also has a number of bright young members and so does PKR. But this has not been the case with Umno. The party and its leaders have adopted an arrogant stance as if Malaysians owe them a living.

“It is time Malaysians showed them the door to exit the political scene forever.”