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Social media driving Teluk Intan polls

— Bob Teoh
The Malay Mail Online
MAY 29, 2014

MAY 29 — In many ways the Teluk Intan by-election is a dry run for the next general elections due as early as three years from now or even sooner. The tipping point probably depends on how well social media is used to engage the electorate. This will re-define politics where the electoral demographics is shifting to a more youthful and social media savvy profile.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of the non-fiction best seller “Tipping point – How little things can make a big difference (2000),” points out that one dramatic moment when everything can change all at once is called the Tipping Point. His says there are three characteristics for this to happen, one, contagiousness; two, the fact that little causes can have big effects; and three, that change happens not gradually but at one dramatic moment.

Social media featured prominently in the 2008 general elections (GE12). There was no tipping point to bring about a regime change. But the ruling coalition lost its crucial two-third majority in parliament that has allowed it to amend the constitution at will since independence. Barisan Nasional (BN) also lost five states out of 13 -Penang, Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Kelantan. It eventually recovered Perak under questionable circumstances. Nonetheless, BN’s loss was unprecedented and the cutting edge was undoubtedly the social media campaign engaged by both the opposition coalition and civil society groups that were seeking a regime change.

Its popular vote was reduced to such a level that the then incumbent Prime Minister Pak Lah was forced put of office rather ungracefully by factional infighting within Umno, the dominant party in the coalition. In came the new Prime Minister Najib Razak only with a party mandate.

Najib had declared that GE13 would be the country’s first “social media elections.” Barisan Nasional lost the popular vote but managed to win 133 or 60 percent of the parliamentary seats under a highly skewed electoral system. Continue reading “Social media driving Teluk Intan polls”

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Bizarre twists at DAP members joining BN bash

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. Continue reading “Bizarre twists at DAP members joining BN bash”

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Teluk Intan is all about character assassination

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. Continue reading “Teluk Intan is all about character assassination”

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Protecting your hopes, securing our future

— Lim Guan Eng
The Malay Mail Online
May 28, 2014

MAY 28 — BN and UMNO conducts the Teluk Intan by-election in the same manner they run the country, by appealing to your worst fears and ugliness with lies, curses and hate. By trying to smear the character of our young lady candidate Dyana Syofa and even her mother, BN and UMNO have lost the mandate to rule and right to represent the people of Teluk Intan.

BN knows only how to preach hate because this is the only justification for their corruption and abuse of power. BN knows only how to appeal to your fears to cover up their mismanagement of the economy leading to the Barang Naik problems of price hikes in petrol, sugar, electricity and even motor insurance premiums as well as Goods and Services Tax(GST).

Instead of 1 Malaysia, it is 1 MDB where tens of billions ringgit of our money are put at risk in investments to benefit cronies. Instead of dealing with the sufferings caused by price rises, Malaysians are told to eat kangkong. Instead of incomes not rising, more foreign workers are brought in. Instead of defending Malaysians, Tenaga Nasional Bhd is promoted with tariff hikes to increase their profits and share prices.

We can overcome your problems if we win Putrajaya. We have shown what we can do in Penang and we can do better nationally. Just as we have done in Penang, we can help senior citizens, single mothers, university students, the disabled, non-working mothers, taxi drivers, fishermen, shortage of dialysis treatment and fix our schools to improve their educational standards. Continue reading “Protecting your hopes, securing our future”

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Dyana ada 3B tangkis serangan Umno, kata Kit Siang

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. Continue reading “Dyana ada 3B tangkis serangan Umno, kata Kit Siang”

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May 31 a rare opportunity for Teluk Intan voters of all races to demonstrate that they are more patriotic and and better Malaysians than UMNO and Barisan Nasional Ministers and leaders

Polling day on May 31 is a rare opportunity for Teluk Intan voters of all races to demonstrate that they are more patriotic and better Malaysians than UMNO and Barisan Nasional Ministers and leaders.

Dyana Sofya’s candidature on behalf of DAP/Pakatan Rakyat in the Teluk Intan by-election on May 31 has brought unprecedented focus on Teluk Intan which boasts of a history going back to the early 16th century of some 500 years.

The national and international attention enjoyed by Teluk Intan in the past 11 days since the announcement of Dyana’s candidature exceeds all the attention which Datuk Mak Siew Keong could bring to Teluk Intan in his two decades of public life, which includes one term as Pasir Bedamar Assemblyman and two terms as Teluk Intan Member of Parliament, which includes a Deputy Ministership.

I do not think anybody could contradict me even if I say that Teluk Intan had never received so much national and international attention in its 500-year history than in the past 11 days because of Dyana’s candidature in the Teluk Intan by-election. Continue reading “May 31 a rare opportunity for Teluk Intan voters of all races to demonstrate that they are more patriotic and and better Malaysians than UMNO and Barisan Nasional Ministers and leaders”

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Outstation voters to decide Teluk Intan’s fate

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. Continue reading “Outstation voters to decide Teluk Intan’s fate”

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DAP and the Malay voters of Teluk Intan

– 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. Continue reading “DAP and the Malay voters of Teluk Intan”

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Pertarungan dua generasi di Teluk Intan

A Shukur Harun
The Malaysian Insider

May 27, 2014

Tidak syak lagi Pilihan Raya Kecil Parlimen Teluk Intan pada 31 Mei ini akan menarik perhatian umum kerana ia amat mempunyai signifikan, terutama kerana ia ditandingi oleh seorang calon muda, professional, cerdas – Dyana Sofya daripada DAP.

Lawannya ialah seorang ahli politik veteran daripada Gerakan, Datuk Mah Siew Keong.

Mengapa pertarungan di Teluk Intan ini mempunyai makna yang besar dalam arena politik tanah air?

Untuk pertama kali, DAP/Pakatan Rakyat mengemukakan seorang gadis Melayu profesional untuk bertanding di kawasan itu.

Sekiranya dia menang, maka untuk pertama kali dalam sejarah kawasan itu akan diwakili seorang Melayu dalam Parlimen Malaysia.

Kedua, calon DAP/Pakatan Rakyat ini adalah daripada kalangan ahli politik generasi baru, menentang calon generasi lama.

Berdasarkan demikian ramai pengundi baru seperti yang dilihat dalam pilihan raya umum yang lalu, maka DAP/Pakatan Rakyat merasakan ada keperluan yang amat sangat untuk meletakkan calon muda untuk bertanding di situ.

Maka, saya kira, Dyana Sofya dipilih untuk bertanding mewakili generasi baru, bukan kerana cantiknya, tetapi kerana melihat potensinya untuk menjadi ahli politik yang berjaya. Continue reading “Pertarungan dua generasi di Teluk Intan”

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Will ‘David’ beat ‘Goliath’ in Teluk Intan?

Malaysiakini
May 27, 2014

COMMENT She is no mummy’s girl.

But, as the daughter of Yammy Samat, an Umno loyalist, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud who is contesting a by-election in the northern state of Malaysia is a roaring tiger.

Although soft-spoken, Dyana is the kind of ‘no holds barred’ young woman who would challenge Umno, which has been the backbone of the ruling party since 1951.

As a Malay candidate for the predominantly Chinese DAP, where 41.9 percent of its voters are Chinese, Dyana has a tough battle ahead to woo voters in Teluk Intan, dominated by three major ethnic communities – with a total of 25,310 Chinese, 23,301 Malays and 11,468 Indian voters.

Traditionally, a seat held by Gerakan, from the ruling BN, her DAP predecessor, Seah Leong Peng, was able to win the seat in last year’s general election with a majority of 7,000. Seah’s unexpected departure on May 1 due to cancer left the seat vacant.

Dyana is up against the 53-year-old Mah Siew Keong, who is both Gerakan party president and a two-term MP for the constituency, before losing to DAP’s M Manogaran in 2008. Continue reading “Will ‘David’ beat ‘Goliath’ in Teluk Intan?”

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UiTM, antara tanggungjawab sosial dan kecemerlangan

Shahrulazwad Ismail
The Malay Mail Online
May 27, 2014

26 MEI — Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) sering diperdebatkan baru-baru ini semenjak pencalonan calon parti politik DAP, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud untuk kerusi Parlimen Teluk Intan. Pada tahun lepas, Dyana yang merupakan seorang graduan Fakulti Undang-Undang UiTM telah mencadangkan agar sebuah institusi seperti UiTM dibuka kepada golongan bukan bumiputera yang berpendapatan rendah.

Sesetengah pihak menganggap Dyana mahu UiTM dimansuhkan ataupun paling tidak dibuka kepada semua kaum. Dyana turut juga membangkitkan kepincangan dalam pengambilan pelajar apabila golongan Bumiputera yang kaya diterimamasuk sebagai pelajar lantas telah mengambil hak golongan bumiputera yang miskin untuk belajar di situ.

Sekurang-kurangnya satu kesan positif yang timbul daripada isu panas ini ialah timbul kesedaran tentang peranan UiTM dikalangan rakyat walaupun diiringi dengan pelbagai kritikan, prasangka dan juga hinaan dan cacian secara terbuka di media-media. Saya yakin ramai sudah maklum serba sedikit tentang sejarah dan matlamat penubuhan institusi ini dan tidak kurang juga tentang Artikel 153 Perlembagaan Persekutuan.

Pelbagai hujahan telah ditulis oleh pelbagai pihak baik dari pihak UiTM, para graduan UiTM (selain Dyana), para majikan dan tidak kurang juga golongan awam. Eloklah kita ambil kesempatan ini untuk menilai tahap kejayaan UiTM ketika ini dan mengenalpasti halatuju selanjutnya.

[Harap maklum bahawa penulis juga merupakan graduan Fakulti Undang-Undang UiTM sejak sepuluh tahun yang lepas.] Continue reading “UiTM, antara tanggungjawab sosial dan kecemerlangan”

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Teluk Intan and the divine right of rulers

John R.Mallot
Malaysiakini
May 27, 2014

In ancient days, kings claimed that they had a divine right to rule, and that they were accountable only to God. They thought that they and the country were one and the same, and that everything and everyone belonged to them.

They could confiscate your lands and wealth, or they could give you property and riches. They could lock you up in the Tower, or make your dreams come true. It was all up to them. King Louis XIV, who ruled France for 72 years, famously said, “L’etat, c’est moi” – I am the country.

And so it is with Umno. Because it has ruled Malaysia continuously since independence in 1957, Umno has come to believe that it, the government, and the nation are all one and the same.

Because it is the self-proclaimed defender of the Malay race – a people whom Umno says are still constantly under threat despite 57 years of protecting their interests – Umno thinks that all Malays should support it.

If a Malay does not, then they risk being denied business and educational opportunities, tried for sedition, or even branded as a “traitor,” as Umno Wanita leader Shahrizat Abdul Jalil brazenly suggested DAP candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud was one last week. Continue reading “Teluk Intan and the divine right of rulers”

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Dyana Sofya is testimony of failure of Ibrahim Abu Shah as nine-year Vice Chancellor of UiTM to turn UiTM students into Umno robots and kill the idealism and Malaysian dream of Malay youths

(Media Statement in Teluk Intan on Tuesday, 27th May 2014)

Tan Sri Dr. Ibrahim Abu Shah has suddenly burst into the Malaysian political landscape with an outrageous and sexist speech against one of his students, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, the DAP/Pakatan Raykat candidate in the Teluk Intan by-election, declaring that Dyana might have the looks but she lacks “inner beauty” that make her a good leader.

He further shocked the academic and political world with the astounding discovery that the Barisan Nasional candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election, the Gerakan President Datuk Mah Siew Keong is “prettier“ than Dyana, declaring:

“Beauty is not just physical. It counts for outer and inner. If I were to compare DAP’s candidate and BN’s, I would say BN’s candidate is prettier than DAP’s.”

Why such animus and outrageous speech by the nine-year Vice Chancellor of UiTM against one of UiTM alumni, Dyana Syofia?

The answer is simple. Dyana Sofya is testimony of the failure of Ibrahim Abu Shah as nine-year Vice Chancellor of UiTM to turn UiTM students into Umno robots and kill the idealism and Malaysian Dream of Malay youths.
Continue reading “Dyana Sofya is testimony of failure of Ibrahim Abu Shah as nine-year Vice Chancellor of UiTM to turn UiTM students into Umno robots and kill the idealism and Malaysian dream of Malay youths”

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Dyana has no inner beauty, Mah is more beautiful, says ex-UiTM vice chancellor

By Zurairi AR
The Malay Mail Online
May 27, 2014

TELUK INTAN, May 27 — Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud might have the looks, but she lacks “inner beauty” that would make her a good leader, said the former vice-chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Tan Sri Dr Ibrahim Abu Shah last night.

Warning the crowd of a Barisan Nasional (BN) rally against voting for Dyana solely for her popularity, Ibrahim and other Umno leaders reminded them that Datuk Mah Siew Keong’s experience counts much more than looks.

“Do we just want to choose a pretty face? Is that a criteria to choose a leader?” Ibrahim told a crowd of thousands in Taman Melor here.

“Gentlemen, beauty is not just physical. It counts for outer and inner. If I were to compare DAP’s candidate and BN’s, I would say BN’s candidate is prettier than DAP’s.”

Ibrahim’s remark on the appearance of the DAP’s Teluk Intan hopeful however was just one of many made in the BN rally, even as the coalition seeks to divert the attention away from Dyana to its own candidate. Continue reading “Dyana has no inner beauty, Mah is more beautiful, says ex-UiTM vice chancellor”

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Chinese stupid if they still vote Barisan, says Anwar

by Anisah Shukry
The Malaysian Insider
May 27, 2014

After receiving such a bashing from the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, the Chinese in Malaysia would be stupid if they still voted for the ruling coalition, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said last night.

The opposition leader told some 3,000 people in Anson Industrial Park, Teluk Intan, that BN had no respect for the Chinese, and this was made evident in the way they treated the community.

“They (BN) dismiss the Indians. They label Chinese as trespassers. Yet still there are Chinese who vote BN. These Chinese have no shame.

“When the prime minister comes, (he says) what else do the Chinese want? A minister said Chinese are trespassers. Yet, (the Chinese still say) love live BN! How stupid these Chinese are,” Anwar said.

DAP’s Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud will face BN-Gerakan’s Datuk Mah Siew Keong this Saturday for the Teluk Intan parliamentary seat, after it fell vacant following the death of Seah Leong Peng on May 31. Continue reading “Chinese stupid if they still vote Barisan, says Anwar”

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Vote me and you send 5 messages to Barisan, says Dyana

by Anisah Shukry
The Malaysian Insider
May 27, 2014

Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud said last night a vote for her in this Saturday’s Teluk Intan by-election will send five messages to the long-ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

The DAP candidate told a crowd of about 3,000 people in Anson Industrial Park, Teluk Intan, that casting a vote for her would tell BN that the people rejected the rising price of goods.

“We oppose the rising prices of goods. Before the (13th) general election (last year), they promised all sorts of things. Now, the promises are forgotten. The (price for) electricity has increased, petrol has risen, sugar has risen.

“But our salaries have not risen, although our blood levels have increased. We reject the rising price of goods,” she said.

She said voting DAP would also show BN that they rejected racist politics, noting that the ruling pact constantly used race to divide the people.

“I don’t know why they keep trying to divide us. As the government, they should be uniting us,” said Dyana. Continue reading “Vote me and you send 5 messages to Barisan, says Dyana”

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Let Mah keep losing so you get better promises, Guan Eng tells Teluk Intan

Anisah Shukry
The Malaysian Insider
May 27, 2014

The DAP yesterday took a swipe at the Barisan Nasional’s (BN) candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election, saying the more he loses, the more he returns with better promises for the constituency.

“Mah said that if he wins, he would bring more development. We want to ask him, he was Teluk Intan MP for two terms and was even the deputy minister, why didn’t he develop Teluk Intan then?

“Why didn’t he say he wanted to have the Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan listed in Unesco then? Only now he says it, after he has lost. If this is the case, he must lose more, so he promises more,” said DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, in reference to Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong.

Mah won the Teluk Intan seat in the 1999 and 2005 general elections, before losing it to DAP‘s M. Manogaran in 2008 and to the late Seah Leong Peng in 2013. Continue reading “Let Mah keep losing so you get better promises, Guan Eng tells Teluk Intan”

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Dyana and Umno: Why are young Malays abandoning the party?

Yasmin Disney
The Malaysian Insider
May 27, 201

Yasmin Disney is a 20-year-old final year English Literature student at the University of Oxford. She is from Kuala Lumpur and hopes to one day make a living as a writer. More of Yasmin’s writings can be found at www.ceku.org.

MAY 27 ― It’s a depressingly predictable situation.

Ever since Dyana Sofya announced she was running for the post of Teluk Intan MP, she has been the unfortunate victim of a barrage of unwanted attention from all sides. Her personal details have been misused, resulting in hundreds of lewd messages sent to her phone; photos of her allegedly wearing a bikini were posted outside mosques in an attempt to paint her as a “bad” Muslim; and she has been the subject of constant verbal and physical harassment from men who still believe, in this day and age, that they have the right to strip women of their bodily autonomy.

As usual, it is the reactions of our top politicians, however, that have been the most jaw-dropping. Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil, former Minister of Women and Family, patronisingly labelled Dyana a “DAP puppet.” Umno vice president and Home Minister Datuk Zahid Hamidi said there was no point voting for her because she was only “slightly pretty.” And of course, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir, never one to shy away from giving his opinion, waded in to accuse Dyana’s mother of raising a traitor.

Dyana Sofya is clearly something of a political phenomenon. Continue reading “Dyana and Umno: Why are young Malays abandoning the party?”

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Malaysia’s most dangerous woman

by Mariam Mohtar
Malaysiakini
May 26, 2014

Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, the DAP candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election is the opposition coalition’s secret weapon. She rocketed to fame like the rocket logo of her party, the Democratic Action Party (DAP). Dyana does not conform to the narrow, twisted and prejudiced view of the Umno Baru world. Unlike her, the modus operandi of Umno Baru Youth is to issue threats and create violence. Dyana engages the rakyat, using her brain and her rhetoric.

To some, especially those from Umno Baru, Dyana is everything that they are not. To others, Dyana represents the new Malaysia, someone who knows what she wants, who speaks her mind, who is ready to accept a challenge and who is not afraid of fulfilling her dreams, through fair and just means. Dyana represents the pulse of modern Malaysia.

When Dyana attracted the ire of veteran political figures like Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and former PM Mahathir Mohamad, there can be only one logical conclusion – Dyana is on a winning streak. Umno Baru is afraid.

The emergence of Dyana signals a major shift in Malaysian politics. Umno Baru supporters with their siege-like mentality, will soon realise that they have been duped and their potential stunted by Umno Baru policies. Malay support for Umno Baru will wane. The party will disintegrate. Continue reading “Malaysia’s most dangerous woman”

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Dyana’s mom no longer believes in Perkasa

– Robert Chaen
The Malaysian Insider
May 26, 2014

Why are people making such a big deal about something irrelevant in the past?

“Yammy was involved but for few months; after that she left because she no longer believed in Perkasa,” Dyana Sofya said, about the involvement of her mother Yammy Samat, in Perkasa.

If you connect the dots properly, it shows clearly that Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali is the sneakiest person. His ultra-racist agenda was not revealed in the early months of the formation of Perkasa. Probably he conned many early members that they are fighting for Muslim Malay rights, when in fact, we all know that Ibrahim is the most negative Muslim.

Can anyone truly say that he is a true Muslim when he is spewing hatred, and calling non-Malays every evil word he can think of.

And now, Ibrahim has an even bigger competitor for the title of “The #1 most extreme negative Muslim in Malaysia”, Abdullah Zaik of Isma. Continue reading “Dyana’s mom no longer believes in Perkasa”