(Media Statement in Teluk Intan on Saturday, May 24, 2014)
On the sixth day of the Teluk Intan parliamentary by-election since Nomination Day on May 29, there has been no let-up but intensification of the UMNO/BN campaign to break DAP/Pakatan Rakyat candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud’s political will and fighting spirit with lies, falsehoods and calumnies.
BN candidate Datuk Mah Siew Keong talks about wanting to have clean and honest campaign but Dyana is being subject to incessant personal attacks and even character assassination, not only by UMNO Ministers and leaders, but also by Gerakan leaders like Chang Ko Youn and Liang Teck Meng.
These Gerakan leaders want to take the high moral ground of clean elections but they do not hesitate to indulge in gutter politics!
Even before Dyana’s candidature was announced, she was the target of a vicious attack on the social media, with several UMNO cybertroopers posting a photograph allegedly of Dyana in a pink bikini in an attempt to question her character with regard to being a Muslim and wearing such revealing outfits.
In actual fact, it was a photograph of Filipino actress Pauleen Luna.
Dyana’s response to such dastardly deed was a real class act as she commented when asked on Twitter if she had seen the photo, she replied: “I did. That’s why I said I wish I had that body! LOL. Need to work extra hard at the gym.”
Who was responsible for the despicable deed on the social media trying to pass off Filipino actress Pauleen Luna in bikini as Dyana Sofya?
The fingerprints of Umno cybertroopers for such a foul deed are all over the place, but we were prepared to let the matter rest as netizens exposed the scam almost immediately after the deed was committed.
Now, the bikini photo of Pauleen Luna has surfaced in the Teluk Intan by-election and distributed in the Malay kampongs to to give the impression that the bikini photo is that of Dyana.
How can the Gerakan candidate Mah allow such a dastardly act to character-assassinate his opponent, Dyana, especially as Mah and the Gerakan leaders have pledged to ensure that the Teluk Intan by-election will be clean and honest one?
Or is Mah and Gerakan completely helpless because they are not in control of the Barisan Nasional Teluk Intan by-election campaign, just as the Gerakan leaders had always been lost at sea in Barisan Nasional national decision-making, as their only role is to say “Yes” to whatever UMNO had decided with no powers or right of saying “No” or to help influence the Barisan Nasional decision-making process.