By Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud | MalayMailOnline
May 29, 2014

To the good people of Teluk Intan,

It has been an exhausting but exhilarating two weeks since I was nominated by my party to be the candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election. I have experienced more in the last two weeks than any time in my 27 years of age.

Suddenly, I became the centre of attention of UMNO Ministers who could not resist taking digs at my looks. Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan asked voters not to support me just because I put on “lipstick”. Datuk Zahid Hamidi remarked that I am “not so pretty in person”. Datuk Ahmad Maslan stressed that even his wife, or Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman’s, would win if it were a beauty contest.

My looks and appearance are not important at all in this very important by-election. I did not sign up with DAP to take part in beauty pageants. I call upon the voters of Teluk Intan to judge me for my ideals, my principles and my dreams for a better Malaysia. I want to win this election not because of my appearance, but because of my ability to make a difference in the Malaysian political landscape in the highest legislative institution of the country.

My opponents have attacked me viciously behind nameless blogs aligned to Barisan Nasional (BN), as well as anonymous leaflets denigrating me with fake pictures and spurious allegations of my moral ethics. During the visits to some evening markets, there were UMNO bullies who heckled, disrupted and attempted to block the campaign trail. Read the rest of this entry »

By Gayatri Unsworth | The Malaysian Insider
MAY 30, 2014

Just a little over a year ago, Malaysia stood quivering at the prospects of a new dawn. Millions thronged to the polling booths, to have their fingers stained with special ink that was about as ineffectual as Ridhuan Tee’s sense of logic.

Anyhow, this not-so-indelible ink, which we paid a fortune for by the way, because as a country we are so exceedingly wealthy that we can afford to spend gazillions on things which don’t really work such as non-sinking submarines and 1Malaysia campaigns, was only the first in a very long list of vexations to come out of last year’s general election.

Though a record number of Malaysians turned up to give the Election Commission the finger (I only meant for the applying of the ink of course) and to make our downtrodden voices audible, our collective despondency was no match for a system so skewed, that I’m really beginning to suspect that somewhere along the way, we simply got terribly confused and started mistakenly spelling D-E-M-O-C-R-A-C-Y for D-I-C-T-A-T-O-R-S-H-I-P.

And truth be told, that would be perfectly understandable, considering our stellar record as far as English language education goes. Read the rest of this entry »

(Media Statement in Teluk Intan on Friday, 30th May 2014)

The Gerakan President and Barisan Nasional candidate for Teluk Intan by-election, Datuk Mah Siew Keong, hit the nail on the head yesterday when he described the Teluk Intan by-election as the dirtiest in Teluk Intan.

He is right except that it is UMNO/BN “hired guns” who are responsible for making the Teluk Intan by-election the dirtiest in history.

In fact, Mah must accept responsibility for this deplorable state of affairs as all the dirt of lies, falsehoods, personal attacks and character assassination especially on the DAP/PR candidate Dyana Sofya emanate from the UMNO/BN quarter, and it is just not acceptable for Mak to disclaim responsibility or pretend ignorance about such a major political and electoral scam.

When asked by reporters, Mah has struck a pose of ignorance and innocence, claiming ignorance of the various election promises made by UMNO Ministers and Deputy Ministers (which are violations of the election laws) or the massive vote-buying whether through money or the free distribution of hampers.

But how long can Mah keep this stance of ignorance when he should bear responsibility for the entire UMNO/BN by-election campaign as the candidate, instead of pretending innocence on the ground that he did not hear or was not present when Umno Ministers and Deputy Ministers violate the election laws making promises to induce voters to vote for him tomorrow. Read the rest of this entry »

(Media Statement in Teluk Intan on Thursday, May 29, 2014)

The 10-day Teluk Intan by-election campaign since Nomination Day on May 19 has produced many firsts in the history of by-elections in Malaysia – like the most sexist attacks, most political bloopers including blatant political gangsterism against a woman candidate, most lies and calumnies and the most number of UMNO Ministers and deputy Ministers to appear at a by-election not contested by an UMNO candidate.

The baseless, vicious and slanderous attacks on the DAP/PR candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud were just gross and simply unimaginable, highlighting the total lack of chilvary of male political leaders in UMNO/BN but also the pettiness of women UMNO/BN political leaders who also indulged in such personal attacks on Dyana, and the failure and cowardice of all women UMNO/BN politicians who dare not raise a single protest against such sexist attacks on Dyana.

From the dastardly posting of fake swim-suit photogragh of Dyana (actually of Filipino actress Pauleen Luna) first on social media and then distributed in the Malay kampongs including a mosque in the constituency; the “lip-stick” fantasy of UMNO Housing Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan; the puerile attacks by the Home Minister, Datuk Zahid Hamidi; the boast by the Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan that his wife or the wife of Deputy Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman would win in a beauty contest against Dyana; Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir’s obsession with Dyana’s different clothes; the UMNO/BN leadership have been stripped completely naked as belonging to a shockingly low-class political genre.

Neither the UMNO/BN leadership nor the BN candidate for Teluk Intan, Datuk Mah Siew Keong, wanted to engage Dyana in a debate on the national political issues highlighted in her manifesto, as they only wanted to unleash a systematic and unethical campaign of character assassination and personal attacks to break her political will and fighting spirit, hoping that she will fly the “white flag” of surrender even before polling day of May 31. Read the rest of this entry »

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 29th May 2014)

I have no doubt that my old friend, Tan Sri Sabbaruddin Chik would have voted for Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud as Member of Parliament for Teluk Intan if he is a voter in the Teluk Intan by-election on Saturday, May 31, as there are no signs that the present UMNO/Barisan Nastional (BN) have the political will either for reform or to launch an all-out war against corruption, cronyism and abuses of power to win over the young generation of Malaysians.

Sabbaruddin has just been sacked as Bank Rakyat Chairman by the Minister for Domestic Trade, Co-operative and Consumerism Datuk Seri Hasan Malek because Sabbarruddin and the bank’s board of directors refused to comply with the Minister’s directive to approve the settlement of a RM32 million loan without calculation of any interest, but on a 120 post-dated cheques to be cashed in by the bank over a 10-year period.

Today, Sabbaruddin warned that Barisan will lose Putrajaya in the 14th general election (GE14) if young voters remain unimpressed with the coalition and its handling of issues such as corruption and transparency.

He said the younger generation was no longer stupid, and Umno and BN were in for an unprecedented nightmare should Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his administration carry on without any meaningful reforms. Read the rest of this entry »

YourSay
Malaysiakini
May 29, 2014

YOURSAY ‘Gerakan, don’t push your luck too far. It may backfire on you.’

Gerakan calls Dyana ‘liar’ on Perkasa issue

Basically: You are running for election, Mah Siew Keong, so whatever BN does in your campaign is your business. Unless you are saying you are not in charge. Which is evident, and we have always known that.

And that means even if you do get elected and is given a ministership, you will still not be in charge. That would be simply a waste of the Teluk Intan seat.

As for Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, if she wanted to measure up to Mah’s ‘experience’ and worth, she’ll need to add some ‘longkangs’ and buildings into her manifesto.

I guess she’s too new and naive to think cost of living and good governance matters to voters. Read the rest of this entry »

Iskandar Dzulkarnain | May 29, 2014
Free Malaysia Today

In this satirical piece, the writer nails home some home truths in a humourous way.

COMMENT

Dyana SofyaThe antics of Umno Youth who seemed to act like organised thugs in the storming of the Penang State Assembly should not be blamed on Umno and BN for no apparent reason.

Neither should they be blamed for the manifestation of unmitigated gangsterism, racism, hooliganism, foul language, threats, destruction of property, the baying for blood, sexism, fake photographs, rowdiness and mob violence by motorbike gangs plaguing the current Teluk Intan by-election campaign.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has issued a statement that BN does not condone violence or sabotage. Umno is very neutral since it not contesting any seats and therefore have no reason whatsoever to cause any ruckus. More likely the outbreak of violence should be attributed to Independents or sympathetic BN supporters.

Unlike DAP who wants to conquer every seat, Umno is more ‘inclusive’ to allow other coalition parties and even Independents a fighting chance to contest.
Is it a wonder why more and more NGO’s, Independents and other mosquito parties are starting to support BN? Read the rest of this entry »

Ahmad Fadli KC
Malaysiakini
May 28, 2014

TELUK INTAN With the clock ticking down for polling day on Saturday, it was supposed to be a feather in BN’s cap: scores of DAP members would cross over to the ruling coalition.

Or so the media was told.

But what transpired in Teluk Intan late last night was something different from the script.

And some DAP members were bewildered when they found out the real reason behind the event.

One such person was 46-year-old taxi driver S Shantini.

Not being informed about the purpose of the event, Shantini was shocked when it was announced that she was one of 150 former DAP members who now support BN. Read the rest of this entry »

YourSay
Malaysiakini
May 29, 2014

YOURSAY ‘Is there anything wrong with different posters of Dyana?’

Mukhriz puzzled by Dyana’s many looks

Fair Play: Truthfully, I didn’t even know how many “faces” DAP candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud has until Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir pointed it out.

But then, I am not him and never paid much attention to her ‘looks’ but only see her as a right-thinking Malaysian who could make a difference for our children’s future.

Multi Racial: I totally agree with Mukhriz. We have to vote leaders who are consistent and who do not speak different things to different audiences, like many BN leaders, particularly our PM and deputy PM.

So far I cannot see any inconsistency in Dyana. Her photos with different dressing and different images are fine. Nothing wrong with her to have different posters, some dressed in modern garb and some wearing a headscarf. At least, it represents her real personality. Read the rest of this entry »

OLEH HASBULLAH AWANG CHIK
The Malaysian Insider
May 28, 2014

Lim Kit Siang menyifatkan Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud mampu menangkis serangan pemimpin Umno dengan ciri 3B yang dimiliki calon DAP itu bagi bertanding dalam Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Teluk Intan Sabtu ini.

Ketua Parlimen DAP itu berkata, ciri 3B yang ada pada Dyana bukan sahaja membuktikannya seorang yang cantik tetapi berani melakukan perubahan kepada landskap politik di Malaysia.

“Pemimpin Umno kata apa guna undi seseorang yang memakai gincu. Seorang lagi kata Dyana bukan terlalu cantik dan tidak seperti dalam gambar.

“Semua ini jatuhkan politik kepada satu tahap yang sangat rendah. Saya ulangi Dyana ada 3B. Dia ada beauty (kecantikan), brain (kecerdasan) dan bravery (keberanian),” katanya ketika berucap di depan ribuan pengundi Teluk Intan di Jalan Mahkota, malam tadi. Read the rest of this entry »

Ram Anand
Malaysiakini
May 28, 2014

ANALYSIS After nine days of campaigning, the fate of the Teluk Intan parliamentary by-election could ultimately be decided by voters not even residing in the constituency itself.

A return of these outstation voters would likely result in a DAP victory, while a low turnout could well work in BN’s favour.

Like many small towns in Perak, a large population of Teluk Intan’s registered voters are residing outside the town, mainly working in the Klang Valley.

By BN’s candidate Mah Siew Keong’s estimate, almost 30 percent of registered voters live away and need to return to Teluk Intan to vote, most of whom are young people inclined to the opposition.

This is why DAP has launched a Jom Balik Undi campaign, to urge voters to return to Teluk Intan this Saturday, while its leaders consistently stress the need of a high turnout for the party to confidently win the by-election.

In the last general election, Teluk Intan registered a 80 percent turnout, the highest ever recorded in the constituency.

But with the aim to takeover Putrajaya no longer feasible a year on, it remains to be seen if the outstation voters would return in droves to vote in this by-election. Read the rest of this entry »

– Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
May 28, 2014

Today, DAP is a much-envied party. Its political ideals and more important, the resolute leadership qualities have gained new adherents.

Young and open-minded Malays are not easily taken by the simple labelling of DAP as a racist and chauvinist party. It is seen as a champion for the underdog, champion for rule of law, for good governance, for the pursuit of policies that are fair and just.

It is fully committed to making changes through the ballot box. It is not a militant group. These are causes that gain traction among Malaysians of all races.

A practical and strategic choice

The choice of Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud as its candidate for Teluk Intan is both practical and strategic. It was not a choice that went down easily among the DAP grassroots initially.

Eventually, as I have noticed over and over again, the wisdom by the DAP’s CEC prevailed. Read the rest of this entry »