Day: May 22, 2014

Lee Long Hui
Malaysiakini
May 22, 2014

Umno Youth members issued a fiery warning to DAP, threatening to torch the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur if its elected representatives hurled insults again.

Angry shouts of “let’s burn it down” and “kill them” rang out at a protest outside the building when Federal Territory Umno Youth chief Mohd Razlan Mohd Rafii asked if submitting a memorandum was sufficient.

He then warned DAP that the next insult would invite a “catastrophic” response. Continue reading “‘Do it again and DAP HQ will burn’”

I fully agree with Sin Chew columnist Ng Miew Luan who in her article today gave three reasons for UMNO’s strong reaction to Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud as DAP candidate for Teluk Intan by-election causing the Wanita Umno leader, Datuk Shahrizat Jalil, UMNO Youth leader, Khairy Jamaluddin and even former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to open fire on her.

These three factors are firstly, UMNO stagnates in the struggle of mono-racial politics and paternalistic leadership and has not been able to change with the times; secondly, UMNO equates itself with the government; and thirdly, UMNO equates itself with the nation; and it is this inability to differentiate party from nation in its political operations which have caused negative consequences.

There is today a very perceptive opinion piece “Arise, the Malay that Umno fears” in The Malaysian Insider by Umran Kadir, who wrote:

“The entry of Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud onto the political scene has been met by an unprecedented and sustained attack by some of the biggest guns in Umno: an Umno Supreme Council member, the head of Wanita Umno and none other than Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself.

“But why is a political novice like her deserving of so much attention by the powers-that-be?

“I would argue that it is because she represents everything that Umno does not want the Malays to be – capable, confident and unshackled. Continue reading “Call on the people of Teluk Intan to protect Dyana Sofya from the wiles of UMNO/BN who want to break her political will and fighting spirit with lies and falsehoods in the way they have succeeded in destroying DAP and other Opposition leaders in the past”

By SYERLEENA RASHID | Malaysiakini
May 22, 2014

There are a lot of speculations roaming around as to why DAP decided to field “newcomer” Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud as a candidate in Teluk Intan. To most she is seen as a protege, while those who are still unable to fathom her decision to join DAP have begun their personal campaign to destroy her image and credibility.

As a matter of fact, any Malay candidate would have been subjected to certain levels of political animosity and slander. In the past, other Malay candidates had gone through the same maltreatment and been imperiled by vicious threats made by the ultra-right wing hate groups.

Being relatively young (compared to the average age of our Members of Parliament) and beautiful (though beauty is subjective) makes her an easy target, but the naysayers have underestimated this intelligent lass; Dyana Sofya is the face of hope and will bring forth much-needed change to this country.

Of course, at this stage, Malaysians are aware of how vicious the powers-that-be can be when they have an agenda to accomplish, and these past few weeks leading up to her nomination, they have proven to us again, just how uncouth they are capable of being.

For decades, DAP has been labelled a ‘Chinese party’ and accused of being chauvinists. It is undeniable that Malaysians of Chinese descent make up the majority of party members but that is merely coincidental as a direct result of Umno’s Malay-centric policies. Some might even say that years of disseminating misinformation via government-controlled media influenced our political views and distorted our logic. Continue reading “Why Malays have joined DAP (and Pakatan)”

By Dr Sharifah Halimah Jaafar | TMI
MAY 21, 2014

The blatant act of disrespect on women and sexist messages by various groups to demean them during the Teluk Intan by-election campaign are unacceptable in a society which aims to become a developed nation.

The hoots and wolf whistles that drown out Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, the DAP’s Teluk Intan candidate, by the predominantly male crowd at the nomination centre a few days ago for the gift of her physical appearance, are very regrettable. Our society at large is still unable to recognise and respect women for their calibre, strength and capability, to become leaders just as men.

It is also shameful that certain parties tried to humiliate Dyana by spreading the photos of a bikini-clad actress resembling her on the internet, purportedly portray her as a “bad” Muslim.

No doubt Dyana Sofya is young and beautiful, but what stands out about her is her intelligence, professionalism, confidence, courage, determination and passion to fight what she believes is right, despite the odds and the storms that come her way.

In a nutshell, this young lady has all the essence of a good leader with integrity and commitment for the rakyat, but it is a pity that narrow minded men see her as a sex object. Continue reading “Let’s do away with sexism and build a respectful nation”

– Umran Kadir
The Malaysian Insider
May 21, 2014

Sheriff John Brown always hated me

For what I don’t know

Ev’ry time I plant a seed

He said, “Kill it before it grows.”

He said, “Kill them before they grow.” – Bob Marley, I Shot the Sheriff

The entry of Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud onto the political scene has been met by an unprecedented and sustained attack by some of the biggest guns in Umno: an Umno Supreme Council member, the head of Wanita Umno and none other than Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself.

But why is a political novice like her deserving of so much attention by the powers-that-be?

I would argue that it is because she represents everything that Umno does not want the Malays to be – capable, confident and unshackled. Continue reading “Arise, the Malay that Umno fears”