Category: DAP

Josh Hong
Malaysiakini
May 23, 2014

DAP’s decision to field Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud as the candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election is not only bold, but epoch-making. More than merely a window-dressing to showcase the party’s multi-racial credentials, the move has changed the dynamics of the campaign in that the party is now directly competing against Umno, the Barisan Nasional’s lynchpin and a world-renowned racist entity, relegating the (even more) Chinese-based Gerakan to insignificance.

In many ways, DAP remains very much rooted in its Chinese constituency – just look at the rousing public speeches – albeit imbued with populism – by Hew Kuan Yew, popularly known as Superman, and the triumphal reception that greets him in Chinese-majority areas.

But the party has begun to demonstrate more and more resolve to become a broad church (I bet some ill-educated and incurious Umno members would scream at the word ‘church’ and the idiom), and now boasts an army of young blood, of whom many are also female professionals, Dyana being just the latest addition.

Moreover, DAP has always maintained the loyal support of the Indian community to a considerable extent, thanks perhaps to the late P Patto, V David and Karpal Singh who did much to prevent the party from becoming parochial and ethnicised.

Dyana is of course not the first Malay candidate on a DAP ticket, but her being a young woman usually without a tudung and, most shocking to Umno, hailing from a true-blue Umno family background, has been portrayed as an original sin by the Malay press.

All hell broke loose and we have seen a stunned Umno dispatch its ruffians to wreak havoc at DAP. Expect more to come as the by-election campaign is gearing into full force in the coming week. Continue reading “Can the Dyana phenomenon last?”

by Hasbullah Awang Chik
The Malaysian Insider
May 23, 2014

Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud is willing to be declared a traitor for contesting on a DAP ticket rather than get involved with the dirty politics practised by Umno and Barisan Nasional.

The Teluk Intan by-election candidate said she agreed with what former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said about Umno.

Malaysia’s longest serving prime minister said that Umno’s failure to attract professionals to the Malay party had caused many to turn their backs on it.

“Dr Mahathir had said that Malays were smart in joining Pakatan Rakyat. He is correct,” Dyana said.

“After that he calls us traitors. Wow, that’s rich.” Continue reading “Dyana says she’d rather be called a traitor than be involved in dirty politics”

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”

– 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”

COMMENTARY BY THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER
MAY 21, 2014

It is that silly season again, when Umno gets in a tizzy over more evidence that its grand-sounding statement that Umno is Malay and Malay is Umno is just that, a statement and nothing more.

That umbilical cord between Umno and the Malays was cut a long time ago. And yet they still pretend to be the vanguard of the Malays.

Now, they are feigning indignation that Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud is contesting the Teluk Intan by-election on a DAP ticket. She has been called an ingrate and a traitor. The sheer hypocrisy of the name-callers who tell Malaysians that we should be forever grateful to them.

In keeping with the Umno spirit, the Malaysian Insider offers five reasons we must “tabik” Umno politicians. Continue reading “Five reasons Malaysians should be grateful to Umno”

– Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
MAY 20, 2014

Tidak syak lagi Umno bankrap modal untuk bahan kempen di Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Teluk Intan.

Malam tadi, ada desas-desus Umno atau penyokong mereka akan sebar video ibu calon bercium dengan lelaki. Inikah yang terbaik dapat Umno lakukan?

Tapi kepala biul Umno, mereka akan lakukan apa sahaja untuk menang.

Tidak ada yang mustahil dengan parti yang lebih rela berkawan dengan syaitan daripada malaikat.

Yang bertanding ialah anak, yang jadi mangsa ialah emaknya.

Ini betul-betul macam perlakuan golongan feudal zaman dahulu, jika anak dituduh bersalah, habis satu keluarga dimusnahkan.

Perbuatan yang Umno lakukan sama seperti yang dilakukan oleh golongan feudal zaman dahulu, disebabkan fakta bahawa Umno itu sebetulnya, sebuah parti politik feudal. Continue reading “Siapa mengkhianati siapa?”

COMMENTARY BY THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER
May 20, 2014

It is just supposed to be a parliamentary by-election but the battle for Teluk Intan is now between Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud and Umno, which appears to be rattled by her candidacy on a DAP ticket.

She has apparently struck fear in several Umno leaders, from Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil – who have all castigated the political novice for not joining Umno.

Even Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali has thrown his soiled fingers into the fray, urging Gerakan to use a photograph of him together with the 27-year-old DAP candidate as campaign fodder.

But Gerakan has refused to use the photograph as part of the campaign by their president Datuk Mah Siew Keong, the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the May 31 by-election.

So why is Umno so afraid of the young UiTM law graduate, whose mother is an Umno member? Several reasons come to mind. Continue reading “Why is Dyana Sofya a threat to Umno?”

by Himanshu Bhatt
fz.com
May 20, 2014

GEORGE TOWN (May 20): PKR’s Dr Afif Bahardin, who at 29 is the youngest state executive councillor in the country, launched a vigorous defence of aspiring lawmaker Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud today after she had been reportedly attacked by rival politicians from Umno for supposedly betraying Malays by joining DAP.

Speaking at the Penang state assembly, Afif in particular hit out at suggestions that Dyana, 27, had become such a betrayer as she graduated from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).

Like Dyana, Afif is also a graduate of UiTM, having obtained his medical degree there in 2009. He also won the Seberang Jaya seat last year when he was about the same age as Dyana is now in contesting the Teluk Intan parliamentary by-election.

“I am a product of UiTM… Youths like Dyana and I are from UiTM and we are active the way we are because we are fed up with Umno-Barisan Nasional,” he said. Continue reading “29-year-old PKR exco, a UiTM graduate, launches impassioned defence of Dyana”

– Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
MAY 19, 2014

What else can the mentally-challenged Umno stormtroopers say? Malays who join DAP are DAP’s lapdogs. That kind of statement cannot be answered by a negation such as, no I am not so. It would not be believed anyway. So, we won’t bother to dignify such stupidity.

I am very surprised that Umno and its adherents cannot understand one simple basic fact: people are free to choose political allegiance. Why is it hard and difficult for Umno to accept that some people just don’t want to be with and near Umno? Umno has to learn to accept that not every Malay wants to join Umno and not joining Umno is a perfectly rational choice. Those who don’t want to join Umno are beyond the judgmental standards of Umno. Accept this reality.

Semi-urban and urban Malays are likely not to vote Umno. We expect Umno to come out strong to help its ally Gerakan – its pet poodle. It will spend a lot on money to buy Malay votes to stop the Dap candidate, Dyana Daud. If Dyana Daud wins, she will be an icon among the younger Malay generation to signal that there is a more meaningful life without Umno. Continue reading “The Malay DAP candidate for Teluk Intan is one of us, she’s Malaysian”