(Media Statement in Teluk Intan on Sunday, May 25, 2014)
I call on the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to repudiate, condemn and apologise for the sexist and personal attacks against DAP/Pakatan Rakyat candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud both before and during the by-election campaign.
The first question I want to ask Muhyiddin is whether he would approve or denounce a vicious, devilish and sexist attack on his daughter should she ever become a candidate for parliamentary or state assembly elections, like the sexist attack against Dyana with the circulation of her in fake bikini photograph, when the person in bikini was Filipino actress Pauleen Luna and not Dyana Sofya?
I am sure Muhyiddin would have reacted in anger and outrage against such despicable lies and calumny against his daughter – but why is he so heartless, unprincipled, opportunistic and even cowardly as not to react with anger and outrage against the dastardly sexist attacks on Dyana and put an immediate halt to such despicable tactics during the Teluk Intan by-election campaign, whether in Teluk Intan or on the social media?
The Barisan Nasional leaders, whether in Teluk Intan or outside, could deny until they are blue in the face that they are responsible for the sexist attacks on Dyana but no one whether in Teluk Intan or in the country would believe that Barisan Nasional/UMNO are not responsible for the fake bikini photograph trying to character-assassinate Dyana, particularly when it was the blogs of the UMNO cybertroopers who were the first to carry the fake bikini photo.
Even if the Gerakan candidate, Datuk Mah Siew Keong, comes out to deny and deplore such attacks, who will believe him? Does he know what is happening in the Barisan Nasional Teluk Intan by-election campaign?
He seems to be quite blur about what is happening in the Barisan Nasional Teluk Intan campaign, probably ignorant about more than 80 per cent of what is happening – in the same way that if Mah is elected, whether as Minister or MP, he would not know 80 per cent of what is happening in the Barisan Nasional Federal Government.
If Muhyiddin is not prepared to be in the forefront to stop dirty election tactics and tricks against Dyana, and openly apologise for the fake bikini photo attacks on Dyana in the Malay kampongs and mosques in Teluk Intan, as well as on the social media, then I call on both the womenfolk and menfolk in Teluk Intan who are voters, whether Malays, Chinese or Indians, to come out solidly on May 31 to condemn such unethical and disgusting character-assassination against a 27-year old woman who have the political principles and courage of conviction to be a parliamentary candidate to be the voice of Teluk Anson in Parliament.
The BN/UMNO character-assassination attacks on Dyana also try to picture her as mindless person and a fraud – although Marina Mahathir praised Dyana as “smart” who have three qualities, as she can think, she can write and she can articulate which many BN politicians can’t.
There have also been attempts to accuse her of being a fraud, claiming to be a lawyer when she is not.
These BN/UMNO cybertroopers and strategists are in fact insulting and denigrating the academic standards of UiTM, as Dyana is a law graduate from UiTM who had been called to the bar for two years before she worked full-time as my political secretary in Gelang Patah after the 13GE last May.
She has also been accused of being a “puppet”. I say only the real puppets in Barisan Nasional can think of other people being “puppets”, for they are used to be at the beck-and-call of the puppeteers in UMNO.
Dyana is no puppet. She is not mindless. She is no fraud. She has been chosen to be the Teluk Intan by-election candidate because she is intelligent, articulate and idealistic, having a mind of her own.
This is why Dyana has taken the political landscape and the social media by storm – for she has come as a breath of fresh air to get rid of the acrid atmosphere in politics and national affairs representing the new politics of the future against the old politics of the past of communalism, corruption and cronyism.
There are six days to go before polling in the Teluk Inran by-election on May 31.
What are are the new despicable and dastardly election tricks which the BN/UMNO Dirty Tricks Department in the Teluk Intan by-election are planning before polling day on Saturday?
Let us wait and see.