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Pengundi Teluk Intan perlu mengundi sebagai rakyat Malaysia, kata Kit Siang

The Malaysian Insider
MAY 19, 2014

Ketua Parlimen DAP, Lim Kit Siang berkata Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Teluk Intan merupakan masa yang tepat bagi pengundi mula mengundi sebagai rakyat Malaysia dan bukannya berdasarkan kaum semata-mata.

Lim yang juga ahli Parlimen Gelang Patah menggesa pengundi di Teluk Intan menyelamatkan Malaysia dengan melakar sejarah dan mencipta keajaiban daripada cuba menyelamatkan parti komponen Barisan Nasional (BN), Gerakan.

“Saya menggesa pengundi Teluk Intan untuk melakar sejarah dan mencipta keajaiban buat kali kedua dalam dekad ini yang boleh membuka mata rakyat Malaysia untuk menyelamatkan negara ini daripada terus gagal dan berpecah belah.

“Ini merupakan cabaran yang perlu dihadapi Teluk Intan untuk bangkit dalam usaha meningkatkan undi demi masa depan negara,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan media hari ini.

Beliau berkata, berbeza dengan pencalonan PRK Bukit Gelugor minggu lalu apabila semua pemimpin BN cuba menutupi ketakutan berdepan kekalahan dengan tidak bertanding tetapi pada hari penamaan calon PRK Teluk Intan, dapat dilihat Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin sendiri yang mengetuai jentera pilihan raya. Continue reading “Pengundi Teluk Intan perlu mengundi sebagai rakyat Malaysia, kata Kit Siang”

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DAP slams Utusan for saying ‘Lims’ masterminded attacks against Dyana Sofya

by Looi Sue-Chern
The Malaysian Insider
May 19, 2014

The DAP has slammed Umno-mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia over an article which said that the recent attacks against the Teluk Intan by-election candidate Intan Dyana Sofya Mohd Duad were planned by the “Lim Dynasty”.

Party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the Malay newspaper’s Sunday edition, Mingguan Malaysia, had slandered the party by implying that he and his father, Lim Kit Siang, had planned the attacks against Dyana.

“We strongly condemn this. It is very malicious. You slander us once, fine. But you do it again and again.

“Do not try to demean a woman and her dignity like that… Mingguan Malaysia does not know Dyana yet.

“She will not bow to such attacks and she will continue to fight for justice and democracy,” Lim said in a press conference after the opening of the state legislative assembly today. Continue reading “DAP slams Utusan for saying ‘Lims’ masterminded attacks against Dyana Sofya”

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Teluk Intan By Election: voters must vote wisely

Why DAP has chosen Dyana, a Malay candidate?
By Koon Yew Yin

Recently, the internet news portal, Malaysia Chronicle carried an article “FED UP WITH MALAY RACISM & BULLYING, Chinese in Teluk Intan may not accept Dyana despite her DAP credentials”.

According to one critic, many faithful DAP supporters would be disappointed that Hew Kuan Yau, a popular local DAP leader known as “Superman” who had been touted as an early candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election scheduled for May 31 was not chosen.

Chosen instead is a Malay candidate, Dyana, the political secretary to veteran DAP politician Lim Kit Siang.

Some people say that DAP is taking a big risk in view of the fact that in Teluk Intan there are more Chinese than Malay voters. I agree but I think the risk is well worth taking. Let us not forget that DAP is a multi-racial party and if it wants to win power, it must prove its multi-racial and not Chinese credentials to the voters – Chinese and non-Chinese.

Let me also point out that the voter composition in Teluk Intan is 42% ethnic Chinese, 19 % Indians and 38 % Malays – in other words there is in fact a non-Chinese majority.
Continue reading “Teluk Intan By Election: voters must vote wisely”

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Learn from my Umno mum, Dyana tells Shahrizat

Malaysiakini
May 18, 2014

DAP’s Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, whose Teluk Intan candidacy has been belittled by Umno Wanita chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, has asked the veteran politician to learn from her underling – Dyana’s mother.

“I ask that she learns from my mother who herself is an Umno member but has realised that my candidacy by the DAP heralds a breakthrough for young women in politics, especially for young Malay women, who have long been held back by an inflexible, patriarchal structure in Umno.

“I owe who I am today to my family and to my mother, to hard work and…the personal decisions which I have made along my life,” Dyana said in a statement today.

Standing by her daughter during the candidate announcement yesterday, Dyana’s mother Yammy Samat, an Umno member, said it was time for the younger generation to step up.

Yammy was the country’s first woman Umno division secretary and today remains as an Umno member in Ipoh. Continue reading “Learn from my Umno mum, Dyana tells Shahrizat”

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In Teluk Intan, DAP’s young Malay candidate hopes to build bridges

BY BOO SU-LYN
The Malay Mail Online
May 18, 2014

TELUK INTAN, May 18 — At Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) where fees for a first degree cost just RM5,000, some Malay students drove luxury cars like Jaguars and Mercedes Benzes, according to Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud.

That made Dyana angry because non-Malay students from lower income families are kept out of the university simply because of their race.

Dyana is DAP’s choice for the Teluk Intan by-election on May 31, picked over more experienced candidates in a bid to boost the predominantly Chinese party’s multicultural credentials.

It is a role the 26 year old UiTM law graduate appears to have slipped into with ease as she looks to represent a constituency that is mainly Chinese.

“We should move on from race-based policies to needs-based policies, and at the same time, the Malays would still gain because the Malays are the majority who need it anyway,” she said in an interview with The Malay Mail Online.

Eliminating affirmative action policies favouring Bumiputeras would only be a problem for well-off Malays who unfairly benefit from race-based policies, she added. Continue reading “In Teluk Intan, DAP’s young Malay candidate hopes to build bridges”

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I would not be where I am today if I chose your way, Dyana Sofya tells Shahrizat

The Malay Mail Online
May 18, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 — Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud said today that she would not have been given the same opportunity had she joined Umno, while claiming that the ruling party’s women’s wing had failed to promote its own members into real positions of influence.

In response to Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s criticism against her candidacy, the DAP’s candidate for Teluk Intan by-election said that her party instead recognises women’s role in politics, unlike Umno.

“I am glad that I chose to join the DAP in 2011. For if I had chosen the way of Shahrizat Jalil and Umno, I would not be where I am today, aiming to enter Parliament as the representative for the people of Teluk Intan and if elected, to be the youngest MP in Parliament,” Dyana said in a statement here.

“The party has nominated me precisely because I strongly believe in the ideals of justice, equal opportunity and good governance.”

According to Dyana, DAP recognises the need for a balance in male-female representation in the government, and subsequently nominates more and more women candidates in every election. Continue reading “I would not be where I am today if I chose your way, Dyana Sofya tells Shahrizat”

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In Dyana Sofya, DAP tries to woo Malays to itself, say analysts

by Eileen Ng
The Malaysian Insider
May 18, 2014

Can Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud woo the Malay electorate in the Teluk Intan parliamentary seat? That’s what her party, DAP, is trying to find out when they nominated her as its candidate for the May 31 by-election.

Analysts said the party is trying to shed its Chinese-centric image and make inroads to capture the hearts and minds of the Malays by fielding a young Malay woman.

The DAP, which makes up one-third of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact, had been trying hard to prove its detractors wrong by fielding more Malay candidates in the last general election to broaden its appeal among the country’s electoral majority.

To date, it has two Malay MPs – Bukit Bendera’s Zairil Khir Johari and Raub’s Datuk Ariff Sabri – both of whom lead Chinese-majority seats. Continue reading “In Dyana Sofya, DAP tries to woo Malays to itself, say analysts”

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Kit Siang mengaku bukan mudah kekalkan kerusi parlimen Teluk Intan

Astro Awani
Bernama | Kemas kini: Mei 18, 2014

TELUK INTAN: Penasihat DAP Lim Kit Siang berkata parti itu berhadapan dengan cabaran besar untuk mempertahankan kerusi Parlimen Teluk Intan pada Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) kerusi itu hujung bulan ini.

Beliau berkata DAP telah mengambil keputusan berani dengan mencalonkan setiausaha politiknya, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud.

Pemimpin veteran itu berkata beliau yakin calon wanita muda berusia 27 tahun itu mampu memenangi hati pengundi di kawasan Parlimen itu. Continue reading “Kit Siang mengaku bukan mudah kekalkan kerusi parlimen Teluk Intan”

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Chinese in Teluk Intan appear unmoved by DAP’s progressive bid with Dyana

by Boo Su-Lyn,
The Malay Mail Online
May 17, 2014

TELUK INTAN, May 17 ― DAP’s choice of a fresh-faced ethnic Malay candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election is leaving some in the predominantly Chinese town unimpressed.

In a move hailed as progressive and aimed at breaking down race-based voting patterns, DAP today named 26-year-old Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud as its candidate for the parliamentary seat, snubbing more experienced ethnic Chinese candidates.

Several Chinese voters at the small town told The Malay Mail Online they were not convinced by DAP’s lofty attempt to eradicate race politics. Continue reading “Chinese in Teluk Intan appear unmoved by DAP’s progressive bid with Dyana”

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Dyana for Teluk Intan ‘to break racial barriers’

Ram Anand
Malaysiakini
May 17, 2014

TELUK INTAN Twenty-seven-year-old lawyer and UiTM graduate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud was today unveiled as DAP’s candidate for the Teluk Intan parliamentary by-election.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng announced the decision at the DAP by-election operations centre in Bandar Baru Teluk Intan today, saying the decision was made as proof of DAP’s ethnic diversity as a party.

In her speech, Dyana, who has served as DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang’s political secretary for the past year, spoke about breaking racial and religious barriers, and finding the perfect formula for a Malaysian “teh tarik, which is loved by all.”

She explained all Malaysians love teh tarik regardless of race or religion and similarly, Malaysians need to find a common identity that would appeal as much across the board as the tea drink does.

At a press conference later, Dyana said she is unfazed by the rounds of attempts to tarnish her reputation that has already begun among some bloggers.

“They thought since I am a woman, I will quit politics (after the attacks).

“But sorry, I am here to stay,” said Dyana, who had fake pictures of her in a bikini published in some blogs even before today’s announcement. Continue reading “Dyana for Teluk Intan ‘to break racial barriers’”

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You will hear me roar

— Dyana Sofya
The Malay Mail Online
May 15, 2014

MAY 15 — My mother was active in politics. As her kids, my brothers and I were exposed to politics at a very young age. We would frequently meet our politician uncles and aunts during dinners, teh tarik sessions, Hari Raya open houses and birthday parties. Some of them made it to ministerial posts in later years, while some were not as lucky.

Growing up observing my mother taught me many, many things. With the good came also the bad. I soon learned that politics was a dog eat dog world which required one to have nerves of steel and skin as thick as oak before one could even begin to participate.

My older brothers in particular saw what my mother endured. They read the books she brought home from work. They saw the dirty games and Machiavellian tactics that my mother had to put up with in the name of “perjuangan.” For the party. For the country.

They also saw how she was betrayed by her own comrades and best friends for the sake of position and power. As a result, they have sworn themselves off from the world of politics.

It all began in the late 1980s, when my mother was a UMNO worker. She had loyally served the party for years, but all her sacrifice and hard work counted for nothing when the newly constituted UMNO Baru of Dr Mahathir decided not to rehire staff that had been inclined towards the “Team B” of his opponent, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, during the 1987 UMNO election.

At the time, she was just about to return to work after maternity leave.

She had just given birth to me. Continue reading “You will hear me roar”

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10 Questions for MCA President Liow Tiong Lai on whether MCA will compromise on the consensus principle of Barisan Nasional where UMNO cannot unilaterally decide in the name of the other 12 component parties

MCA and Barisan Nasional’s decision not to contest in the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary by-election must rank as the worst political cowardice in the 57-year electoral history of Malaysia.

This worst political cowardice of MCA and Barisan Nasional because of their fear of suffering another ignominious defeat one year after the 13GE results last May, however, camouflages a hidden and unworthy agenda for the by-election – hoping to lull the DAP/Pakatan Rakyat leaders, members, supporters and the voters of Bukit Gelugor into complacency so as to cause the lowest voter turnout in the constituency, and consequently to reduce the humongous majority of 41,778 votes won by Karpal Singh last May. Last year, the voter turnout for Bukit Gelugor was the historic high of 85.35 per cent!

Although MCA and Barisan Naisonal have “chickened” out of contesting in the Bukit Gelugor by-election, the nearly 82,000 voters of Bukit Gelugor should not succumb to the opiate of MCA and BN that the Bukit Gelugor by-election is unexciting and irrelevant when in fact, it and the Teluk Intan by-election are two important milestones in the post-13GE political struggle to restore justice, freedom, democracy and good governance in Malaysia.

I will be developing the case about the great importance of the two by-elections, Bukit Gelugor and Teluk Intan, in the coming weeks.

For today, I want to ask the MCA President Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai ten questions: Continue reading “10 Questions for MCA President Liow Tiong Lai on whether MCA will compromise on the consensus principle of Barisan Nasional where UMNO cannot unilaterally decide in the name of the other 12 component parties”

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Tweets on PAS forum on 13th May, 1969

1.Spoke at interesting forum organised by PAS Shah Alam last night entitled: “13 Mei: Rekonstruksi Sejarah n Pembinaan Malaysia Pasca Rasisme”

2. Other speakers MP Mujahid Yusuf whose father Yusof Rawa defeated Mahathir in 1969, Subky Latif and Pemuda PAS leader Mohd Nasaie Ismail

3. Subky was veteran journalist I had known since 60s when he was with Utusan which had not degenerated to unethical disgrace to journalism today.

4. ’13 Mei ‘a blot in Malaysian history. It should not have happened, should not have been allowed to happen and all Msians must ensure there is no repeat.

5. 45 years after national nightmare in 1969, there is no authoritative account of what and how it happened – no Truth and Reconciliation efforts. Continue reading “Tweets on PAS forum on 13th May, 1969”

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One year after GE13, lost in sea of politicking

Bridget Welsh
Malaysiakini
May 5, 2014

COMMENT Today marks the one year anniversary of the historic 13th general election. This election was pivotal in the country’s history as the incumbent BN coalition held onto power, with the opposition calls for ‘change’ unfulfilled.

Scholars have highlighted the fundamental shifts in the power of Umno, the imbalance of the opposition parties, the rise in influence and political awakenings of East Malaysia and the electoral irregularities, among many profound structural changes.

In other ordinary ways, Malaysian politics has also changed, with greater cynicism, insecurities and anger more prominent in public life. This is across the political divide. News reports feature troubling reports of increased racial tensions, political polarisation and continued shortcomings in governance.

This article highlights some of the ongoing dynamics in contemporary Malaysian political life, which are both worrying and offer promise ahead. Continue reading “One year after GE13, lost in sea of politicking”

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Karpal was anti-hudud, but never anti-Islam, says PAS lawmaker

by Looi Sue-Chern
The Malaysian Insider
MAY 06, 2014

A PAS leader yesterday sought to heal the tension between DAP and the Islamist party over the hudud issue when he said that the late Karpal Singh, although strongly opposed to hudud, was never anti-Islam.

Speaking at a memorial service for the late Karpal at the Han Chiang High School in Penang last night, PAS lawmaker Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusuf Rawa said the former DAP chairman always stood by his principles in objecting to the implementation of hudud and the setting up of an Islamic state.

“But he (Karpal) was never a man who was anti-Islam,” Mujahid said. Continue reading “Karpal was anti-hudud, but never anti-Islam, says PAS lawmaker”

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It’s so hard to say good-bye, Karpal

— P Ramakrishnan
The Malay Mail Online
MAY 6, 2014

MAY 6 — The passing of Karpal had a shattering effect on me. It was, as it were, we had lost our hope. Such was the immense loss that we suffered.

On the day of Karpal’s funeral, I wanted to bid him farewell in my own personal and special way.

This is the outpouring of a grieving heart.

This was my good-bye to him:

My dear Karpal,

It is difficult to accept that you are no longer with us. For more than four decades you were part of the landscape of this nation and very much a part of our lives.

Today you are no more!

It is well-known that you were highly respected and greatly admired, but we did not know that you were also loved so deeply. It took everyone by surprise. There was no way to know this; there was no indication; there was no expression of this affection in the past.

While you were alive, there was no means or reason to measure the people’s affection for you. In your death, we discovered that there was so much undeclared love for you. The out-pouring of affection for you was simply incredible and astonishing. Their affinity for you was totally overwhelming, dear Karpal. Continue reading “It’s so hard to say good-bye, Karpal”

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‘She dedicated and sacrificed life to Karpal’

Susan Loone
Malaysiakin
May 6, 2014

Being the loyal and devoted wife, she stood in his shadows all these years without public recognition and appreciation.

But last night’s memorial for the late Karpal Singh at the Han Chiang College Hall, Penang, saw tribute paid to his widow, Gurmit Kaur, who sat amid the 1,000 odd crowd at the event.

“This woman dedicated and sacrificed her whole life to Karpal for years in silence, standing steadfastly behind her husband as he went about his work, contributing to the nation,” said her second son, Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo.

“This woman is my mother, let’s give her a big round of applause, it is not easy, not easy at all to do what she had done,” he added, as the crowd clapped loudly in her honour. Continue reading “‘She dedicated and sacrificed life to Karpal’”

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Karpal Singh – Will for Justice

by Liew Chin Tong
fz.com
May 05, 2014

The funeral rites for Karpal Singh ended with family members scattering his ashes in the sea off Green Hall, Penang, but the national soul-searching to understand his legacy and to commemorate it has just begun.

The massive outpouring of grief, especially at the funeral on April 20, 2014, for a statesman who had actually never held executive power was indeed unprecedented. Karpal’s legacies as a human rights lawyer and a staunch defender of constitutional democracy, and his leadership in DAP will be remembered, studied and perhaps critiqued.

The cruel attempt that was ongoing when Karpal died, to disqualify him as MP and even to jail him, will continue to haunt the ruling party with his image as victim and martyr “sealed” with his demise. Karpal’s perseverance against physical disability will also continue to inspire many, and hopefully his tragic accident on the highway will help the push for better transportation. Continue reading “Karpal Singh – Will for Justice”

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A Malaysia where all Malaysians are equal, that’s the perfect tribute to Karpal, says Gobind

by Looi Sue-Chern
The Malaysian Insider
May 06, 2014

The greatest tribute Malaysians could give to the late Karpal Singh would be to build a new Malaysia where everyone will be treated fairly and equally. That was the message at the last leg of a series of tributes for the Bukit Gelugor MP which coincided with the first anniversary of GE13.

Karpal’s son Gobind Singh Deo yesterday urged the people to remember his father’s fighting spirit and see his dreams realised with a new government in Putrajaya in the next general election.

“What is important is to remember how he lived because he was a man who fought for us and this country, believing that this country can change one day… a Malaysia where all Malaysians are equal and treated fairly by our government.

“If there was darkness, Karpal was the light. If there was weakness, it was him who gave us strength.

“But now that he is no longer with us, are we going to back down now because Karpal is no longer with us? Do we stop our fight because he is no longer here with us? Or do we remember the fighting spirit that the Tiger of Jelutong has left behind?” he said at the memorial held in Penang last night at the Hanchiang High School’s Lim Lean Teng hall. Continue reading “A Malaysia where all Malaysians are equal, that’s the perfect tribute to Karpal, says Gobind”

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Pakatan can’t sustain strong GE13 win in next polls due to internal strife, disagreements, forum told

BY ANISAH SHUKRY
The Malaysian Insider
MAY 06, 2014

Election 2013 could be the last strong win by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) as the issue of hudud, internal party conflicts and a lack of effort to court rural voters will hurt its chances in the next general election, a forum was told last night.

Speaking at the “GE 14: Will there be another political tsunami?” forum, panellists Liew Chin Tong, Wan Hamidi Hamid and Hishamuddin Rais noted that in the past year since the May 5 polls, the opposition pact had gained little ground in their dream to capture Putrajaya despite winning more seats in the 13th general election.

Liew said the hudud issue had worsened PR’s chances of triggering a political tsunami in the next election, and urged its Islamist ally PAS to review its priorities.

“Hudud was a strategy for PAS to affirm its Islamic identity. But does it remain a relevant strategy, or are we just trapping ourselves behind this one single theme? What is our priority? Hudud, or economic justice?” the Kluang MP said at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. Continue reading “Pakatan can’t sustain strong GE13 win in next polls due to internal strife, disagreements, forum told”