Are we brewing another May 13, 1969?

By Azly Rahman

This is serious, if you ask me about the latest events concerning Umno and DAP: those revolving around name-calling, storming of the Penang state legislature and the latest, on the threat to burn down the headquarters of the DAP.

Is this a prelude to something bigger as we approach the 14th general election? Irrationality will rule and will be rationalised. Is the climax to a potentially explosive racial conflict going to be built up and the two parties involved in a showdown? Go back to the prelude to May 13, 1969, if we wish to process the brewing of mass violence.

I hope we are all sane enough to diffuse these kinds of situation and quickly make peace and for all to be patient, to exercise restrain, and to not provoke those who are irrational. We will make it as Malaysians. We have come a long way through our hard work in building bridges and to continue to call ourselves Malaysians.

But crises will be manufactured and we will never know the truth of any conflict that will bring chaos to the country.

Let us use whatever medium of peace-making and peace-building at our disposal to make peace with ourselves and with others.

Waging peace

After watching the video of the Umno Youth protest in front of the DAP headquarters, I sensed that the worse is yet to come and we may never be able to stop violence or to stop those out to wage war – unless we wage peace, beginning at this very moment.

For the Malay Muslims in the video, the character of the Prophet Muhammad is the best to show Malaysians what peace looks like. Go back to that and not let anger consume the natural, peaceful self in you.

You will feel better if you search within you and let Prophet Muhammad be the guide in you. I suggest you invoke the salawat and the istighfar that should help in times of anger and irrationalism.

To my friend and parliamentarian Ong Kian Ming, I say this: you did an admirable job of being calm and composed. I pray for your safety and those of others faced with a similar situation that you may continue to serve the community well.

Many of us know that this does not have to do entirely with race – it is about human nature, materialism, militarism and racism, as the Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr has said in many of his speeches during the American Civil Rights movement.

My message to all Malaysians

Let us leave all these nonsense behind and resolve thing amicably, no matter what race and religious group you belong to. This is a beautiful country with beautiful people who ought to work together beautifully.

I hate to have my memories go back to that day in 1969, when, as a very young child, what I heard daily was men in red headbands in Muar, Johor with parang, kerambit, keris, daggers and all kinds of weapons, were heading for Kampong Baru, Kuala Lumpur, meeting at the residence of the then menteri besar Harun Idris.

I could even feel the “heat” of May 13 in my kampung in Johor Baru, with the people talking about “sembelih” (slaughtering). As a child, those moments had left a bloody history in me. We have a lot to do and we do not have time to undo the more than 40 years of peace we have built.

And the young people of today need to know this. The future is yours. You need not emulate the stupidity of your elders, especially when it concerns behaving as if there is not enough home-training on anger management in public.

I, for one, do not wish to read about another May 13 in the newspapers, or even through online portals these days.

My saddest moment that day was when my Maths teacher, whom I love and respect dearly and who adored me for my hard work and who had all praises for me since day one. On that day, after May 13, 1969, all of a sudden, after checking my class work for the day, she threw my exercise book right across the room and out of the door, for a reason I can now understand. I was devastated for weeks.

Bless your soul, Ms Chan!

Peace, salam, salamat, shaloom are terms we must hold as a mantra these days. But how must we understand ourselves, politically, these days?

A mirror we hold up today

My stunted growth in understanding Malaysian politics is even greater these days, reading how much we have progressed backwards and how true P Ramlee, the great Malaysian social-philosopher and humanist, said about politics being a “circus” (sarkas) when illiteracy rules and rationalism is shunned against.

We have not seen fresh new ideas embraced by all parties, at least once in a while in a collaborative manner. We have only seen more and more hidden, and even physical violence, manifesting.

Political change needs social imagination and critical sensibility founded upon a very strong ethical system drawn and designed as a national philosophy; a transcultural system inspired by the strength and universality of all religious and non-religious philosophies – not just based on Islam that has its limitations and cultural biases, albeit insisted upon and imposed onto many as a complete and all-encompassing, all-hegemonising political, social and existential philosophy.

Islamic philosophy as conceived by Malay Muslims of the political enclave, especially, will still not be a comprehensive idea as long as its proponents are still ill-prepared to even explore the meaning of “western liberal philosophy”.

Besides, with the global image of Islam, as Salafic or Wahabbic or Talibanic or even Boko-Haramic, who would these days pay attention to the idea of a beautiful and peaceful and just Islam fit for all of humankind?

We need to understand the excesses of the demands made by major factions contending for power and control in order to come to a middle ground and a peaceful solution to resolving conflicts.

We need to, once and for all, analyse these and make structural and foundational changes to our system and its institutions in order to bring society into some kind of order.

May 13 seems to be brewing. But we now have the means let it simmer and cool. We are, first and foremost, Malaysians building a better Malaysia for all Malaysians.

I hope Umno and DAP will agree.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 25 May 2014, 11:06 am and is filed under
Azly Rahman
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Berjaya tambat hati Melayu, peluang cerah Dyana menang

– Hamri Ibrahim

The Malaysian Insider

MAY 23, 2014

Keputusan DAP mencalonkan setiausaha politik Lim Kit Siang, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud yang juga merupakan graduan undang-undang Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) pada pilihan raya kecil (PRK) Teluk Intan dilihat sebagai langkah strategik bagi meraih undi orang Melayu di Parlimen berkenaan.

Ia sekali gus diharap dapat mengembalikan kepercayaan orang Melayu dan mengubah persepsi negatif mereka terhadap parti berkenaan.

Persoalannya, mampukah strategi ini berjaya pada PRK Teluk Intan nanti?

Jika statistik Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13) dijadikan ukuran, maka DAP khususnya Dyana perlu bekerja keras bagi menambat hati orang Melayu yang merupakan majoriti kaum kedua terbesar di Teluk Intan.

Parlimen Teluk Intan mempunyai seramai 60,439 orang pengundi berdaftar dengan 42% orang Cina, 38% orang Melayu dan 19% orang India.

Menariknya, pada PRU13 lalu, Presiden Gerakan, Datuk Mah Siew Keong yang juga merupakan calon BN pada PRK kali ini memperoleh 74% undi Melayu, 15% undi Cina dan 50% undi India meskipun BN kalah kepada calon DAP, Seah Leong Peng dengan majorit 7,313 undi.

74% undi Melayu kepada BN menggambarkan betapa orang Melayu secara terbuka menolak kepimpinan DAP di Parlimen Teluk Intan pada PRU13. Tambahan pula, jika diteliti secara dekat, kebanyakan undi untuk BN datang dari kawasan Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Changkat Jong yang penduduknya 64% orang Melayu dengan majoriti 1,118 undi sementara kebanyakan undi untuk DAP datang dari DUN Pasir Bedamar yang penduduknya 69% orang Cina dengan majoriti besar 13, 037 undi.

Parlimen Teluk Intan mempunyai dua DUN di bawahnya iaitu Pasir Bedamar dan Changkat Jong.

Mampukah Dyana mengubah pendirian 74% undi orang Melayu yang menyokong Mah daripada parti Gerakan pada PRU13 yang lalu dan meyakinkan mereka untuk mengundi beliau selaku calon Melayu daripada parti DAP pada PRK kali ini?

Dilema orang Melayu Ini merupakan situasi yang jarang berlaku dalam pilihan raya di Malaysia apabila calon Melayu parti majoriti Cina seperti DAP akan bersaing dengan calon bukan Melayu parti komponen BN dan semestinya situasi ini menyebabkan orang Melayu berada dalam keadaan dilema terutamanya bagi golongan pengundi atas pagar.

Untuk rekod hanya dua ahli Parlimen DAP yang berbangsa Melayu iaitu di Bukit Bendera, Zairil Khir  Johari dan di Raub, Datuk Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz. Mereka menang pada PRU13 yang lalu dengan menewaskan calon bukan Melayu.

Situasi di Teluk Intan kali ini persis seperti di Bukit Bendera di mana calon Melayu DAP menentang calon bukan Melayu Gerakan dan majoriti penduduknya adalah kaum Cina. Mampukah skrip Bukit Bendera berulang kembali di Teluk Intan? Sama-sama kita nantikan 31 Mei ini.

Apa yang penting ialah Dyana perlu berusaha menambat hati orang Melayu di Teluk Intan dan mengembalikan kepercayaan mereka kepada beliau. Jika perkara ini berjaya dilakukan, maka peluang cerah untuk Dyana Sofya menang pada PRK ini dan seterusnya membolehkan beliau menjadi ahli Parlimen termuda dan ahli DAP wanita berbangsa Melayu pertama dalam sejarah Malaysia. – 23 Mei, 2014

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 25 May 2014, 6:43 am and is filed under
DAP
,
Elections
,
Telok Intan by-e
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Call on Muhyiddin to repudiate, condemn and apologise for the sexist and personal attacks against Dyana Sofya, especially the fake bikini photo and character assassination of her as mindless and even a fraud

(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.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 25 May 2014, 12:45 pm and is filed under
DAP
,
Election
,
Telok Intan by-e
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Dyana not the only victim of sexism in politics, say women leaders

BY ANISAH SHUKRY

The Malaysian Insider

MAY 25, 2014

The smear campaign against DAP’s Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud highlights the sexism endemic in Malaysian politics.

In Parliament, men outnumber women by almost 10 to one. A female representative, whether in Parliament or a state assembly, has to fight sexist perceptions of her marital status, looks and dress.

DAP vice-chairperson Teresa Kok said she once argued in Parliament for the rights of single mothers, only to be interrupted by an MP who reminded the Dewan Rakyat that she was unmarried.

“They said I was single, not qualified to make comments on the issue of single mothers. And being a single woman in the eyes of some Umno MPs is akin to being a second-class citizen. They run me down, treat my status as a joke,” the Seputeh MP told The Malaysian Insider.

In Parliament, only 23, or 10.4%, out of 222 MPs are women, falling far behind Putrajaya’s target of 30% female participation in Parliament.

The figures are out of sync with demographics, where females make up 49.3% of the population.

The lack of female participation in politics gives rise to sexist remarks and heckling from the male-dominated assemblies.

Kok, 50, said that her single status became fodder for her opponents the moment she was first elected in 1999.

“When I first became an MP… I was teased constantly for being single.

“They would throw all sorts of remarks at us in Parliament, about our clothing ‘menjolok mata’ (eyesore), being unmarried,” said Kok.

At the last Parliament session in April, Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Moktar Radin took offence to Kok’s outfit, which he said was inappropriate because he caught a glimpse of her knees.

He tried to raise a standing order in Parliament and complained to the speaker: “The skirt reaches the knees, I can see the knees, how can this dress be allowed?”

Kok said she dealt with the sexist attacks by either fighting back or shrugging them off.

“I either ignore them or I fight back. There is no way for us to run away. Even if it doesn’t happen in Parliament, you see all this on the Internet.

“I am immune to them. After some time, you get used to it,” said Kok, adding that she could no longer recall the many sexist incidents.

She also said the smear campaign against Dyana and the constant reference to her looks would not die down should the young candidate be elected on May 31.

“I understand that her personal (telephone) number is out (made public) and she is facing a lot of harassment. I have gone through all that she is experiencing.

“As long as you want to be a public figure and society is not mature and has no respect for privacy, this is bound to happen,” said Kok.

Bukit Lanjan assemblyman Elizabeth Wong concurred, but said that sexist remarks were less prominent in the Selangor assembly, where female representatives comprise 25% of the assembly – the highest female participation in any state assembly in the country.

“Unlike Parliament, the Selangor state assembly has many women and that helps a lot in tempering those with an urge to utter sexist remarks, because the men know everyone will pounce on them,” said Wong.

She said in 2012, BN’s Batang Kali assemblyman Datuk Mohd Isa Abu Kassim was fined RM1,000 for making a remark on her “forest” during a debate session in the state assembly.

Isa had told Wong “not to forget to take care of our own forest” during the debate, sparking outrage among his peers. He later apologised for the comment.

But sexism was still rife, said Wong.

For instance, PKR Selangor’s entire executive council is made up of women, which has provoked sexist comments.

“People say, ‘oh, don’t tell me there are no men in PKR Selangor who are good enough’. But you don’t hear that type of talk when there are only male representatives,” said Wong.

“We women have to prove ourselves time and time again that we are capable of doing our jobs. There is a huge burden on us to prove ourselves.”

Wong said even in her party, “local leaders” were resistant to the idea of fielding female candidates for elections.

PKR has three female MPs: Fuziah Salleh (Kuantan), Zuraida Kamaruddin (Ampang) and Nurul Izzah Anwar (Lembah Pantai).

In last year’s PKR congress, Pahang representative Murnie Hidayah from the Srikandi wing, who contested and lost the Paya Besar parliamentary seat, complained about the lack of support for women from the party central leadership.

However, Wong said the PKR leadership was “sensitive” to gender representation and the party’s constitution stated that women must occupy 30% of posts at the local and national levels.

“But the sexism that the Teluk Intan candidate (Dyana) is facing is horrendous. She’s still a young woman, but everything under the sun is thrown at her,” added Wong.

Dyana, 27, became the victim of an online smear campaign when her face was superimposed on a bikini-clad Filipino actress and the picture went viral.

Yesterday, the DAP claimed to have found fake bikini photos of Dyana around Malay villages and even in a mosque in Changkat Jong.

Political analysts said the smear campaign was a concerted effort to undermine Dyana’s “Malay-ness” and depict her as not being true to her roots.

But at a recent ceramah in Teluk Intan, even Dyana’s political allies trumpeted her looks to drum up support from voters, according to media reports.

This prompted Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin to remind voters that the by-election was not a beauty pageant and urged them to choose a leader with experience who could serve the constituency. – May 25, 2014.

SHARE

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 25 May 2014, 2:59 pm and is filed under
DAP
,
Elections
,
Parliament
,
women
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Dyana Sofya dan keberanian politik DAP

Amin Iskandar

The Malaysian Insider

MAY 25, 2014

Sejak Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud dinamakan DAP sebagai calon mereka bagi Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Teluk Intan, nama gadis itu terus melonjak naik dan menjadi “darling” kepada media.

Sebagai pengamal media atas talian, saya sendiri dapat menyaksikan apa sahaja berita yang mempunyai nama Dyana Sofya tidak kira yang menyanjung atau menghinanya, pasti akan “laku terjual”.

Di media sosial seperti Facebook, Twitter dan YouTube, Dyana Sofya begitu laku sekali.

Teluk Intan yang bersedih di atas kematian bekas Ahli Parlimen Seah Leong Peng kerana penyakit barah kini mempunyai fenomena baru dengan kehadiran Dyana Sofya.

Dengan gaya kempen ala pilihan raya presiden di Amerika Syarikat (AS), imej Dyana Sofya membanjiri Teluk Intan dan media sosial dengan penuh bergaya.

Umno sebagai parti tunjang kepada Barisan Nasional (BN) kelihatan tergoncang dengan tindakan berani DAP sebagai sebuah parti majoriti kaum Cina untuk meletakkan seorang gadis Melayu sebagai calon di kerusi yang secara tradisinya ditandingi kaum Cina.

Tetapi BN sebagai sebuah gabungan politik konservatif, tidak berani “menongkah arus” apabila meletakkan Presiden Gerakan, Datuk Mah Siew Keong, sebagai calon mereka.

Mah merupakan bekas ahli Parlimen yang pernah berkhidmat selama dua penggal dan merupakan anak jati Teluk Intan.

Kepimpinan DAP sendiri tidak pasti apakah langkah meletakkan Dyana Sofya itu akan berjaya apabila Lim Kit Siang menghantar mesej kecemasan (SOS) kepada pengguna Internet Malaysia agar turun padang untuk membantu parti itu di Teluk Intan.

Ketua Parlimen DAP itu juga turut mengatakan, jika PRK Teluk Intan itu diadakan di Internet, Dyana Sofya sudah pun memenanginya, tetapi belum pasti pada PRK 31 Mei ini.

Walaupun DAP mahu mengubah imej mereka untuk menjadi “benar-benar Malaysia”, apakah penduduk Teluk Intan yang mempunyai pengundi majoriti Cina (41.9%) sudah bersedia untuk mengundi seorang calon Melayu?

Bagaimanapun, jika dilihat daripada keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13) lalu, ramai calon-calon Melayu Pakatan Rakyat (PR) menang dengan sokongan pengundi bukan Melayu terutamanya di kerusi bandar.

Dengan majoriti lebih 7,000 dimenangi DAP dalam PRU13 lalu, kemungkinan besar Dyana Sofya tidak mempunyai masalah untuk menjadi ahli Parlimen Teluk Intan yang baru.

Ramai yang tertanya-tanya mengapa gadis Melayu seperti Dyana Sofya yang merupakan graduan Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) tidak menyertai Umno?

Semasa lepak di kedai kopi semalam, seorang aktivis Umno dari Selatan tanah air memberitahu saya: “Macam mana orang muda hendak masuk Umno, sebab awal-awal lagi sudah kena pancung!”.

Beliau begitu marah dengan tindakan pembesar-pembesar Umno yang menyekat golongan muda dalam parti itu sehinggakan gadis Melayu seperti Dyana Sofya menyertai DAP.

Katanya, pembesar-pembesar Umno terlalu tamak kerana mahu berkuasa selamanya sehingga ramai anak-anak muda profesional menyertai pembangkang.

Lewat petang semalam, media melaporkan gambar palsu Dyana Sofya “berbikini” ditemui di masjid dan kampung-kampung Melayu di Teluk Intan.

Membaca berita tentang ini menyebabkan saya berfikir, mengapa sampai begini sekali takutnya mereka terhadap Dyana Sofya?

Mungkin juga kerana jika Dyana Sofya menang, lebih ramai anak-anak muda Melayu akan menyertai DAP.

Jika ini berlaku, Umno sebagai parti Melayu terbesar di Malaysia akan menemui ajal dengan lebih cepat kerana gagal melahirkan kepimpinan muda untuk mengambil alih parti itu.

Beberapa hari lalu di Teluk Intan, Ketua Pemuda Umno Khairy Jamaluddin mengatakan Dyana Sofya bukanlah ancaman BN kerana hanya segelintir Melayu yang menyertai DAP.

Khairy tentu sedar betapa sukarnya golongan muda sepertinya untuk memperjuangkan idea-idea baru dalam parti yang dikuasai golongan tua itu.

Lagipun, umum mengetahui Khairy bersendirian dalam banyak perkara dan pandangannya “terlalu kehadapan”, bukan sahaja bagi golongan tua Umno, tetapi majoriti anggota Pemuda parti itu. – 25 Mei, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 25 May 2014, 7:19 am and is filed under
DAP
,
Elections
,
Telok Intan by-e
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Will Teluk Intan vote for the way forward?

Kee Thuan Chye

news.malaysia.msn.

22nd May 2014

Without considering the ethnicity of the candidate, whom would you rather have represent you in Parliament – an intelligent, energetic, winsome 27-year-old woman with a pristine political record and a dream of bringing about racial unity in Malaysia, or a politically experienced 53-year-old man who has won twice and lost twice over four general elections in the same constituency he is now contesting yet again, been a deputy minister for one term, and is president of Gerakan, a Barisan Nasional (BN) party that has fallen by the wayside?

Next question: Of the two candidates, the victory of which would send out a more positive, significant and healing message to the entire nation? Which would bode better for Malaysia’s future?

Next question: If you were voting in the upcoming Teluk Intan by-election, would you vote for change and the potential for politics that transcends race, or would you vote for the same old brand of politics which somehow ends up being race-based?

Would you vote for the DAP’s Dyana Sofea Mohd Daud or BN’s Mah Siew Keong?

Dyana represents the new breed of politicians who are smart, rational, progressive, who eschew racial politics, who argue with facts instead of sentiment. This breed began with the likes of Nurul Izzah Anwar, Tony Pua, Rafizi Ramli, Liew Chin Tong, Gobind Singh, Anthony Loke, Teo Nie Ching, Saifuddin Abdullah, etc. Carrying on from them are people like Zairil Khir Johari, Ong Kian Ming, Darrell Leiking, Yeo Bee Yin, Kasthuriraani Patto, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Wong Chen … they shall inherit the future Malaysia.

Dyana is the daughter of an Umno member who has served the party for years, but she herself decided to join the DAP. “I did it because I felt Malaysia needed a new kind of politics,” she said. “The only way forward for our country (is) to break (the) model of racial politics.”

She is probably right in also saying she will be on the right side of history for joining the DAP – “For its principle of multi-culturalism. For its principle of standing up for all Malaysians, regardless of race and religion. For its principle of doing what is right, despite the risks and repercussions.” It may not look this way now, but in the future, when history is re-visioned hopefully with more accuracy, it is those who have struggled for what is right rather than those who have been perpetuating an archaic and corrupt system who will be considered heroes.

Right now we are at a crossroads between going down the same old path that could lead to stagnancy or striking off to the road not yet taken, towards a new hope and potential change for the better.

In a way, the Teluk Intan by-election provides a step towards this hope and change. Will its voters take the way forward?

The DAP has taken a risk by fielding Dyana in the by-election. She is a Malay standing in a Chinese-majority seat. Many of the Chinese voters are elderly people who may fall prey to BN’s fear-mongering about PAS’s hudud. Besides, as the incumbent, the DAP didn’t need to risk losing its seat. Fielding someone like Hew Kuan Yau a.k.a. Superman would have assured it of victory.

But risky as it is, the move is also a masterly one. It pushes the election parameters and provides a worthy litmus test of whether Malaysians still vote along racial lines. It shows the DAP to be a party that comes up with new ideas that make bold statements.

That Dyana is the political secretary of party veteran Lim Kit Siang may have determined the gambit – because we know Kit Siang to be a compulsive risk-taker. At the 13th general election (GE13) last year, he led the DAP’s onslaught on BN’s fortress, Johor – and succeeded. But when he first announced it, some people thought it was suicidal.

One suspects that a good amount of calculation must have been done before deciding on the risk. Party strategist Liew Chin Tong was the brilliant prime mover of the Johor onslaught; he could perhaps be behind the Teluk Intan one as well.

Already, the strategy has proved effective. Umno is rattled. It is also rankled by the fact that the daughter of an Umno member who has supported the party for a long time is pro-Opposition, worse still a DAP candidate. From Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to Mohd Puad Zarkashi, Umno’s bigwigs have since coughed up their bile against Dyana and her DAP connection. Even old-timer Mahathir Mohamad has chipped in.

In fact, Umno started feeling uneasy from the time the DAP announced Dyana as its candidate. Wanita Umno Chief Shahrizat drew first blood when she said she pitied Dyana for being made use of by the DAP and claimed that Umno should get credit for what Dyana is today!

How thick the Umno mindset is! One person who should take credit for Dyana is her own mother, Yammy Samad. Her response to Mahathir is a gem. “I give my children the freedom to choose what is right and wrong. She is an adult, and can think for herself,” Yammy said. “Even for her choice of husband I give her the freedom, this is just about choosing a party … She may want to marry a Malay, Chinese or Indian if they suit her. If I force her, and if it ends up in failure, then what is the point?” Yammy Samad is one cool mother!

At the nomination centre last Monday, Shahrizat again picked on the young lawyer by telling her not to be a “traitor”. Why did she say that? Apparently because Dyana is a Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) graduate. OMG! What has that got to do with being a “traitor”? But wait for Dyana’s retort: “I would never become a traitor to Malaysia, don’t worry.” Well said!

As long as she serves the people, how could she be a traitor? Just because she serves under the DAP? Come on, Shahrizat! You are looking only at race, Dyana is looking at the entire country. I should say that by thinking as you do, you show yourself to be a traitor to non-Malay citizens; you’re only thinking of and serving a section of the people and discounting the rest. That’s subverting the country’s well-being, my dear.

Compare Sharizat’s thinking about UiTM to the more intelligent thinking of Dyana’s: “UiTM is also built with taxpayers’ money.” Absolutely. Taxpayers are not comprised of only Umno members, so why should someone’s university dictate the choice of their political party? See how much more sense Dyana shows than the ageing veteran?

She also says, “I strongly believe in the ideals of justice, equal opportunity and good governance.” Would we ever have the privilege of hearing Shahrizat say the same thing? Perhaps when UiTM is opened up to all Malaysians to finally deserve its funding by taxpayers. But should we hold our breath till then?

Meanwhile, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok says if Dyana wins, it will also be a victory for the “Malaysian First” concept. She’s right. This is the way forward, not the reactionary ethnocentric stance of groups like Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) and Perkasa. That’s passé. Malay First, Chinese First, Indian First … that cannot work for the good of the nation. Only fools refuse to see it.

But can Dyana win against her opponent, Mah? He’s a veteran. He’s a local boy. He’s been MP of Teluk Intan for two terms. It won’t be easy.

He is fishing for votes by saying that if he loses, he won’t be made a senator, to go through the back door way of becoming a Cabinet minister. On the other hand, his colleague, Gerakan Adviser Chang Ko Youn, is selling the idea of the “golden opportunity” for Teluk Intan if Mah should win and is made a minister. They are hedging their bets!

But so what if Mah is made a minister? That will be good only for him. How would it benefit the people of Teluk Intan? As a minister, would he have direct access to ready funds for Teluk Intan? If so, he should put it in writing that he would make such funds available for development there – and sign it. Right now. To be fair, he should also add the penalty he would pay in case he failed to deliver.

Besides, what can Gerakan do in the Cabinet today that it has not done for decades as a participant in government? If the people had felt Gerakan was worth its salt in government, at GE13 they would have voted in more Gerakan MPs instead of only one. The party contested 11 parliamentary seats but won only at Simpang Renggam. Does Gerakan deserve one more seat to match its tally of two won at GE12 in 2008? For what purpose? The perpetuation of old politics?

Dyana is right to say she is the “underdog”. But Mah also says he’s the “underdog”. Both are being strategically modest. The way it looks, it’s going to be a close call. Dyana would be banking on youths and women to support her, while she has Kit Siang’s track record to improve her odds. He is like a master trainer of thoroughbreds; several of his former political secretaries have gone on to be winners, even political stars. But Mah has BN’s mammoth machinery behind him, and that may be powerful enough to push him to victory.

Whatever happens on May 31, we still have to hand it to the DAP for taking the brave and risky route. And Dyana will be remembered for a long time to come for her intelligence and impressive EQ, demonstrated in her response to the Photoshopped image of her in a bikini, stupidly circulated early on to smear her campaign. She will be someone to watch out for. She has idealism and no experience of being corrupt. She is a symbol for racial unity. She belongs to the present and future.

And so the final question: Will the people of Teluk Intan show good sense and foresight by voting for the way forward?

I hope the question is purely rhetorical.

* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the new book We Could **** You, Mr Birch, now available in bookstores.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 25 May 2014, 7:58 am and is filed under
DAP
,
Elections
,
Telok Intan by-e
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


With DAP’s Dyana, Ambiga says happy to see more women in politics (VIDEO)

BY BOO SU-LYN

The Malay Mail Online

MAY 25, 2014

TELUK INTAN, May 25 — In a country where only one out of 10 MPs is female, activist Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan lauded Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud’s bold step forward into the murky political world dominated by men.

Ambiga, a former Malaysian Bar president turned activist, also decried the sexist attacks that the 26-year-old DAP aspirant has suffered in the Teluk Intan by-election campaign.

“As a woman, I’m happy to see more and more women coming up to fight the battle in the political arena,” Ambiga said at a DAP fundraising dinner here last night, attended by some 2,000 people.

“We are happy to see more women in Parliament,” added the former chief of election watchdog Bersih 2.0.

The 13th general election last year saw only 23 women being elected into the 222-seat Parliament.

The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition has 14 female federal lawmakers, while the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has nine, out of which the DAP has the most at four.

Dyana Sofya, whose physical attractiveness has been highlighted frequently in the run-up to polling day on May 31, was recently the target of a smear campaign.

The Malay Mail Online reported that posters featuring her image alongside a bikini-clad actress — and to whom Dyana Sofya bears a striking facial resemblance — were disseminated in predominantly Malay residential areas in Changkat Jong over the past few days.

Her politicial foes from Umno, the most recent being Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, the minister in charge of urban wellbeing, housing and local government, have also reportedly questioned if Teluk Intan voters were supporting a candidate just because she wore lipstick.

Despite Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) care not to play up Dyana Sofya’s looks, many people in Teluk Intan across age and race appear to be smitten with the law graduate, eager to take photographs with the youthful politician.

At the DAP function last night, Ambiga too did not talk about Dyana Sofya’s beauty, but highlighted instead her integrity, courage and independence.

“I salute Dyana for her courage and I salute her for her integrity,” said Ambiga.

Ambiga added that she had first met Dyana Sofya when the 26-year-old was serving as political secretary to DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah.

“I was very impressed by her. She has her own mind. People attack her because she’s independent,” said the outspoken activist.

Dyana Sofya will face Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong, 53, in a straight fight for the Teluk Intan federal seat in Perak on May 31.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 25 May 2014, 7:30 am and is filed under
DAP
,
Elections
,
Parliament
,
Telok Intan by-e
,
women
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Dyana braver than me for joining DAP, says PAS’s Hadi

BY
ANISAH SHUKRY
 | TMI

MAY 26, 2014

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang today praised DAP’s Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud as “brave” for contesting on behalf of DAP, saying that such bravery was needed in an opposition lawmaker.

“We must vote in someone who is energetic, someone who is courageous. We consider Dyana as brave, as she is willing to become a candidate, a DAP candidate at that.

“I myself will not be willing to become a DAP candidate,” said Hadi in jest, prompting laughter from the crowd of about 100 PAS supporters at a hi-tea in Teluk Intan.

Hadi arrived in Teluk Intan today to join PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang, as campaigning gathers momentum ahead of polling day on May 31.

Addressing a predominantly Malay crowd, Hadi said the candidate’s character and what he or she stood for, and not race, was important in the by-election.

“If we were smart, we wouldn’t be talking about race. The person who we choose will be our representative and will speak on our behalf in Parliament.

“We believe that this young lawyer, Dyana, if she wins, she will speak out, she will be brave. And she has a role to play in DAP.”

On the other hand, Hadi said Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong, the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate, would only be a “yes-man” in Parliament.

Hadi, however, said he feared BN would hand out cash and gifts to Malay areas in the constituency in return for votes, “because the candidate is rich”.

“The money is bait. The people here are fishermen, they live near the river. There are clever fish and there are stupid fish.

“The clever fish will eat the bait but avoid the hook. The stupid fish will swallow the hook whole. And they will die,” added Hadi.

Several ministers who have arrived in Teluk Intan to campaign for Mah have promised a host of goodies for the people, including faster Internet speed, a crematorium and a wedding hall for the Indian community, and new uniforms for members of voluntary corps Rela.

Mah has however distanced himself from the promises, saying he was only responsible for his own manifesto.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 26 May 2014, 9:05 pm and is filed under
DAP
,
Elections
,
Telok Intan by-e
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


For better or worse, political smear tactics grab attention, say analysts

by Joseph Sipalan and Pathma Subramaniam

The Malay Mail Online

May 26, 2014

Running a smear campaign is arguably the best way to gain traction in a political contest, analysts say amid a storm of negative publicity muddying the Teluk Intan by-election campaigning.

Political analyst Prof James Chin said running down an opponent – typically through hired guns such as bloggers and cyber troopers – is an effective strategy to capture the public’s imagination.

“Whether we like it or not, in reality, negative campaigning works because it means we can’t stop thinking about it. It has a residual effect,” he told The Malay Mail Online when contacted.

“For instance, the bikini photo of Dyana. If someone asks you if you have seen it and if you haven’t, it would immediately trigger your attention to look for it and see it for yourself,” he said, referring to DAP’s Teluk Intan candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud.

“And it will always stick to your mind, it will affect the way they vote, though many may not admit that it affects them.”

Smear tactics have been a regular feature on the Teluk Intan campaign trail heading towards polling day this May 31, with Dyana Sofya bearing the brunt of it.

Posters featuring her image alongside a bikini-clad actress – with whom the 26-year-old shares a striking facial resemblance – were farmed out at predominantly Malay residential areas in Changkat Jong, including at a mosque.

BN candidate and Gerakan President Datuk Mah Siew Keong was not spared, with social media users sharing a picture of the 53-year-old standing very close behind a woman, as if he were touching her sexually.

Chin, attached to Monash University, claimed that it is typical for the campaign office of any political party to engage “contractors” to execute smear campaigns without any direct link to the party.

“There is no such thing as a clean campaign. It is an oxymoron. In my professional opinion as a professor in political science, I can tell you that in the history of all elections in the world, there is no such thing as a clean campaign,” he said.

Independent expert Khoo Kay Peng, however, argued that political parties nowadays have far less control over such campaigns as they would like, especially in dealing with overzealous supporters empowered by communication technology and social media.

“This is an age where campaigns are no longer in the hands of campaign managers and candidates. Campaigning using the latest technology is something you cannot control.

“Today you can participate in the campaign without having to be in Teluk Intan,” he said.

Ibrahim Suffian, who heads independent pollster Merdeka Centre, noted that such campaigns by overly enthusiastic supporters could potentially cause more harm than good to their candidate of choice.

“The people running these so-called black-ops or psy-wars, they think they will help gain the advantage. They are probably not getting the intelligence or information, because academic studies have proven that in the past, when you run a negative campaign it tends to depress the (voter) turnout.

“You will end up losing the interest of people who may otherwise give a second look at the candidates contesting,” he said.

Nevertheless, both Ibrahim and Khoo believe that smear tactics only work as far as they are allowed to capture the public’s imagination.

While it would require everyone from the public and the media to the parties and candidates themselves to play an active part, Khoo said the most effective solution is to shift the focus to policy matters and how well candidates can speak out in the public’s interests.

Ibrahim said this is best done through public debates where electoral hopefuls can put across their ideas on how to serve their prospective constituents.

“Candidates should really display their grasp of issues, outline what they can do, how to address concerns of the public and help the local council be more effective… this brings maturity and a sense of public participation in the whole process,” he said.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 26 May 2014, 7:29 am and is filed under
DAP
,
Elections
,
Telok Intan by-e
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Hina Umno bukan hina Melayu, kata Anwar

OLEH JAMILAH KAMARUDIN

The Malaysian Insider

May 25, 2014

Tindakan menghina Umno tidak bermakna menghina masyarakat Melayu-Islam secara keseluruhannya, kata Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar berkata, walaupun menghargai pejuang Umno terdahulu tetapi beliau tidak mengiktiraf pemimpin Melayu yang merompak tanah rakyat sendiri sebagai pejuang bangsa.

“Apa pula Umno (itu) Melayu. Umno, Umnolah. Melayu, Melayulah.

“Saudara jadi perampas harta Melayu tetapi diangkat jadi pejuang Melayu,” katanya kepada pemberita di majlis persandingan anak perempuannya di Dataran Saujana Prima di Kajang hari ini.

Katanya, tindakan pemimpin Umno menyokong kumpulan Pemuda Umno menyerang Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Pulau Pinang juga dianggap tidak wajar walaupun wakil DAP menghina Umno.

“Kalau itu jadi ukuran, sudah berapa kali kita harus serang Parlimen Malaysia kerana bersikap biadap (terhadap Pakatan Rakyat),” katanya.

Menurut ahli Parlimen Permatang Pauh itu, Umno berhak menegur DAP tetapi tidak menyokong tindakan biadap pemuda parti itu menyerang sidang DUN seperti samseng.

Mengulas tindakan Naib Presiden Umno, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yang menyokong tindakan Pemuda, Anwar berkata pihak berkuasa perlu bersikap adil dan tidak terus membiarkan Umno bersikap kebal daripada undang-undang.

Katanya, insiden itu tidak wajar disamakan dengan pergaduhan sesama ahli parlimen di Taiwan kerana sidang DUN Pulau Pinang diserang daripada pihak luar.

“Saya nak tengok sejauh mana tindakan diambil terhadap samseng Umno.

“Kita dibaling batu tetapi tiada tindakan. Apa ingat Pakatan tiada harga? Kami yang kuli ini semua ini tiada harga?

“Pemimpin bangsawan kamu pelihara cium tangan dia walaupun dia penjenayah,” katanya.

Akhbar Mingguan Malaysia dalam kolum ‘Awang Selamat’ menyifatkan tindakan menghina Umno  boleh dianggap sebagai menghina Islam dan Melayu kerana parti itu dinaungi ramai orang Melayu dan Islam.

“Jangan salahkan pihak lain jika berlaku tindak balas. Ekstremisme mengundang ekstremisme,” kata Awang Selamat yang menganggap DAP parti paling rasis.

Katanya, insiden itu membuktikan DAP membawa standard mangkuk tandas ke dalam Dewan.

Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Seri Delima RSN Rayer pada Selasa lalu mengeluarkan perkataan ‘Umno celaka’ semasa perbahasan sidang DUN Pulau Pinang, sekaligus mencetuskan kemarahan dan beberapa siri protes Umno terhadap DAP.

Tidak berpuas hati dengan Rayer, sekumpulan 60 pemuda mengganggu persidangan apabila menceroboh masuk DUN pada Rabu lalu, menyebabkan 12 orang ditahan polis namun kemudiannya dibebaskan dengan jaminan polis.

Di Kuala Lumpur, kira-kira 50 Pemuda Umno Wilayah Persekutuan membawa sepanduk mengadakan protes dihadapan ibu pejabat DAP di Jalan Yew mengugut untuk membakar bangunan dan merosakkan papan tanda DAP.

Manakala di Pahang, insiden baling telur dilakukan kumpulan Pemuda Umno dan badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) Melayu yang membawa bendera negeri dan menyerang pejabat DAP di Kuantan pada Jumaat lalu.

Zahid turut menyokong tindakan ganas itu apabila menyifatkannya sebagai satu balasan yang perlu dibayar DAP kerana membiarkan ahlinya menghina Umno. — 25 Mei, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 26 May 2014, 7:56 am and is filed under
Anwar Ibrahim
,
DAP
,
Elections
,
Telok Intan by-e
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Poor Mah Siew Keong – even during Teluk Intan by-election he cannot get the recognition of UMNO and Barisan Nasional leaders as Gerakan President and candidate to respect his authority and the law, how can he get the respect and recognition after the by-election?

(Media Statement in Teluk Intan on Monday, 26th May 2014)

Poor Mah Siew Keong. Even during the Teluk Intan by-election, he cannot get the recognition of Umno and Barisan Nasional leaders as Gerakan President and candidate to respect his authority and the law, then how can he get the respect and recognition from Umno and Barisan Nasional leaders after the by-election even if he wins on May 31st?

This is the only conclusion to be drawn from Mah’s pathetic plea at the launch of his Teluk Intan by-election manifesto this morning that he cannot be held accountable for the promises made by ministers in his absence.

In the past week, UMNO Ministers and Deputy Ministers have made a bee-line to Teluk Intan and never before in the history of Teluk Intan or in any by-election, have so many Umno Ministers and Deputy Ministers “descended” on Teluk Intan or in any by-election as the by-election has been transformed from a contest between the DAP vs Gerakan into DAP vs UMNO.

Even the eminence grise of UMNO, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, who seems to be the “de facto” Prime Minister after the mystery of the disappearance of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak at the same time as international tragedy and disaster of the 79-day disappearance of the MH 370 with 238 passengers and crew on board, was the first to open the savage attacks against the DAP/Pakatan Rakyat candidate for Teluk Intan, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, by launching an offensive against Dyana’s family for failure as a UMNO family to bring up children who love and are loyal to UMNO.

But Dyana’s mother, Yummy Abdul Samat delivered a coup de grace in the exchange with Mahathir when she responded with what could be the Quotable Quote of the Year: “I tried to raise her like Mukhriz, but she ended up like Marina” and which should shut up Mahahtir for good on this subject. Of course, it is often forgotten that Mahahtir created UMNO history by being doubly disloyal, first to UMNO founded in 1946 and secondly to his UMNO Baru founded in 1988 as he condemnet UMNO Baru under Tun Abdullah Badawi and left it in 2008.

Be that as it may, Teluk Intan has since Dyana’s nomination as DAP candidate on May 19, been flooded with an endless stream of UMNO Ministers, Deputy Ministers, grandees, as well as UMNO cyber-troopers and “hired guns”, some working from afar.

None of them have any respect for Mah Siew Keong, whether UMNO Ministers, Deputy Ministers,””grandess”,, cybertroopers or “hired guns”, which was why Mah had to come up with the most pitiable plea that he cannot be held accountable for the promises made by UMNO ministers and deputy Ministers in the Teluk Intan by-election although these promises violate the election laws making the Teluk Intan by-election one of the dirtiest and most dishonest by-election campaign in the nation’s history.

One ministerial promise was improvement of broadband internet connection for Teluk Intan, and other ministerial promises include free uniforms for People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) and the building of a crematorium and a hall for wedding receptions for the Indian community.

A news portal has just reported of another corrupt practice and election offence, where the Umno Wanita chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil visited the house of a 57-year-old unemployed single mother with three mentally-disabled daughters and gave cash of RM500 and Pampers.

Mah has cynically and irresponsibly disclaimed responsibility or even knowledge, saying lamely:

“I wasn’t there. Those were their promises. Not mine.

“They (the promises) are not in my manifesto.”

This raises profound implications.

Firstly, Mah should have the courage of conviction to uphold the dignity of the office of Gerakan President and Barisan Nasional candidate for Teluk Intan by-election to order all who are campaigning in Teluk Intan, including the Deputy Prime Minister, UMNO Ministers, Deputy Ministers, grandees, UMNO cybertroopers and “hired guns” inside or outside Teluk Intan, to strictly adhere to all election laws and not to do anything without his authority or consent, including the fake bikini photo of Dyana.

But Mah seems to prefer to seek the safety of claiming ignorance of what is happening in the Barisan Nasional Teluk Intan by-election unless “he was there” or had personally made the promises.

If so, what credibility has he got to disclaim UMNO/Barisan Nasional character-assassination of Dyana Sofya, particularly the despicable fake Dyana’s bikino photo when it was that of a Filipino actress, Paulene Luna, and other savage personal attacks on her, whether about her political principles or her legal qualifications?

Mah not only look utterly insincere but completely impotent about what is happening in the UMNO/Barisan Nasional Teluk Intan by-election campaign.

Dyana has three Bs, beauty, brains and bravery. When has “beauty” become a crime or a sin to UMNO and Barisan Nasional?

However, Dyana was selected as DAP/PR candidate for Teluk Intan by-election not for her beauty, but for her brains and bravery, in standing up against all forms of injustices and oppressive forces, and in particular in withstanding the enormous pressures which the UMNO/BN by-election juggernaut has unleashed against her and her ability to be unbowed and remain fully committed to her political ideals and principles.

How many Bs have Mah?

Secondly, the question that should immediately be asked is whether the manifesto released by Mah today is his personal manifesto, the manifesto of Gerakan, or the manifesto of UMNO/Barisan Nasional?

It is no use if it is Mah or Gerakan’s manifesto, as he is the Umno/Barisan Nasional candidate.

Will he get the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to come to Teluk Intan before May 31 to declare that the manifesto he released this morning is the Umno/Barisan Nasional manifesto which the Umno/Barisan Nasional Federal Government would honour in the next three to four years before the 14th general elections?

If not, Mah’s manifesto is not worth the ink it is written with.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 26 May 2014, 8:39 pm and is filed under
DAP
,
Election
,
Telok Intan by-e
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Ramkarpal dedicates victory to dad

by Susan Loone

Malaysiakini

May 25, 2014

Newly-minted Bukit Gelugor parliamentarian Ramkarpal Singh has dedicated his victory to his late father Karpal Singh, the much-revered incumbent who died in a road crash last month.

Thanking his mother Gurmit Kaur, who stood by him today, he also paid gratitude to his siblings Jagdeep, Gobind, Mankarpal and Sangeet for supporting him through life.

“This is my maiden election and it was not an easy ride,” he said.

“If we had a higher voter turn out, our majority would be higher. If we look at the majority despite voter turn out, then it is a huge victory.”

Ramkarpal won with a whopping majority of 37,659 votes – or 89 percent of votes cast – about 4000 votes shy of Karpal’s mammoth majority in 2013.

Voter turnout today was a dismal 56 percent, compared to 86 percent in 2013.

Having campaigned with the slogan ‘I am Karpal Singh’ in remembrance of his outspoken father, it was Karpal’s spirit that bouyed his tight-knit family.

‘A silent tiger’

Gurmit said that it is at moments like this that she misses Karpal the most, but said she knows that he would have been very happy with the outcome of the polls.

“I can only say one thing that Karpal taught me – if one Karpal goes, 100 will rise. He (Ramkarpal) is a silent tiger, wait and see,” she said with a smile.

“If we had higher voter turn out, our majority would be higher, if we look at the majority despite voter turn out, it is a huge victory,” he stressed.

Gurmit (middle in photo) said she missed Karpal at a moment like this but knows that he is very happy with the outcome of the election.

“I can only say one thing that Karpal taught me – if one Karpal goes, 100 will rise. He (Ramkarpal) is a silent tiger, wait and see,” she says with a smile.

Besides his family, Ramkarpal also extended his thanks to DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang whom he said provided him with “fatherly advise”. Lim was Karpal’s close comrade.

“We all had little sleep so I am looking forward to a goodnight’s sleep,” he said, thanking the voters for giving him their votes.

Winning majority

Meanwhile, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said that Ramkarpal’s winning majority is likely to be an issue in the media despite the fact that he won close to 90 percent of votes cast.

“The other three candidates lost their deposits, if they were to add up their votes, they would still lose their deposits,” he said.

“This shows the support the people have for Ramkarpal and Pakatan. He will definitely be a goood MP for not only the 90 percent but for the 100 percent,” he added.

He said that Ramkarpal, who will be sworn in on June 9, will speak for the rakyat against the implementation of the goods and services tax, corruption ang hooliganism in politics.

PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, who was also at the press conference, said it was also a victory for PAS and Pakatan Rakyat.

“We did not get caught in racial politics and stood by our ally, DAP, and (will) continue to fight against corruption,” he added.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 26 May 2014, 2:10 am and is filed under
DAP
,
Elections
,
Parliament
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Ramkarpal sweeps Bukit Gelugor with roaring 37,600 majority

by Himanshu Bhatt,Sangeetha Amarthalingam and Tarani Palani

fz.com

May 25, 2014

GEORGE TOWN (May 25): The DAP’s Ramkarpal Singh made his political debut in style by winning the Bukit Gelugor by-election today by a thundering 37,659-vote majority, polling 81.7% more votes than his closest opponent.

Ramkarpal received 37,659 votes, while Parti Cinta Malaysia’s Datuk Huan Cheng Guan obtained 3,583 votes. Independents Mohamed Nabi Bux Mohd Sathar got 799 while Abu Backer Sidek Mohammd Zan obtained 225 votes. There were 542 spoilt votes.

This means all three of Ramkarpal’s opponents lost their deposits. The results were announced at 9.10pm by Returning Officer Capt (R) Anwar Yahaya at the Dewan Sri Pinang.

However, as the DAP had feared, voter apathy due to the prevailing opinion that Ramkarpal would sweep the seat led to a rather low  turnout of 56.04 per cent.

This came about as the MCA, which traditionally represents Barisan Nasional (BN) in contesting for this seat, stayed away this time.

Only 46,099 of the 82,000-odd registered voters in the parliamentary constituency cast their ballots.

Earlier, when the unofficial results were announced by DAP by-election communications director Ng Wei Aik at the party’s operation centre, ripples of excitement spread through the neighbourhood on Jalan Masjid Negeri.

The by-election had been called following the death of veteran DAP leader Karpal Singh in a tragic road crash where the Toyota Alphard he was being driven in slammed into a five-tonne lorry along the North-South Expressway near Gua Tempuring at 1.10am on April 17.

His assistant Michael Cornelius died in the same accident.

Incidentally, Ramkarpal who was in the same vehicle, survived the accident and has now assumed the mantle of his father.

“Most important thing as far as I am concern in this election is my father, the late Karpal Singh. He is certainly a very important part…I dedicate it entirely to him.

“Throughout events that lead to it, he was always with me at this point in time certainly apart of this,” he said.

He also thanked the voters who came out to vote for him, his family and the party for their support.

“The DAP has been very supportive in the campaign. Lim Kit Siang has given me fatherly advise and all the people at the service center campaigning everyday with little sleep. So we look forward to good night sleep tonight,” he said smiling.

Boost for Dyana Sofya in Teluk Intan

The immediate impact of the DAP victory will be to provide significant encouragement for the party’s 27-year old candidate in the upcoming Teluk Intan parliamentary by-election, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud.

That by-election is scheduled for next Saturday (May 31) following the passing of the MP there, Seah Leong Peng of the DAP.

Dyana Sofya faces BN’s Datuk Mah Siew Keong, who is Gerakan president, in a straight fight.

While the turnout today may seem poor, it is better than the last time BN did not contest in an election.

During the Penanti state by-election on May 31, 2009 – contested by PKR’s (Datuk) Mansor Othman and three independents – the total turnout for the entire polling was only 7,100 voters or 46.1% of the voting population there.

Mansor, won that election, garnering 85% of the votes cast, and went on to be appointed Deputy Chief Minister (I).

Campaign period lit with independents’ antics

Though relatively low-key due to the absence of the BN, the campaign period was  lit by the antics of the independents.

In particular, lawyer Abu Backer Sidek took the media spotlight when he dramatically dropped on the road in front of the official car of Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, while calling out to see Lim outside the Penang State Assembly.

He also announced yesterday at the very last minute that he wanted to pull out from by-election, although this is not possible as his name had already been printed on the ballot papers.

Mohamed Nabi Bux meanwhile went around with his small bandwagon of supporters touting the hudud line.

All the losing candidates showed a late burst of visibility with their banners and posters appearing prominently in public during the last few days of campaigning.

However, DAP was the only party that conducted regular ceramah every day of the campaign period, with Ramkarpal making numerous rounds in public places with the support of the Pakatan Rakyat machinery.

Ramkarpal’s victory was also very much due to the widespread reverence and sentiments for his late father.

In the last general election on May 5 last year, Karpal had swept the seat for the DAP with a massive 41,778-vote majority, over MCA’s Teh Beng Yeam, polling 55,839 votes from the 69,900 that were cast.

Prior to that, Karpal had won the seat by 21,015 votes in 2008 and 1,261 votes in 2004.

Some 74% of the 62,000-odd voters here are Chinese, 14.5% are Malays, 11% are Indians and 0.5% are categorised as others.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 26 May 2014, 6:30 am and is filed under
DAP
,
Elections
,
Parliament
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


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.

Earlier yesterday, Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said only the Chinese would be happy if BN lost in the by-election, as they are already wealthy and ungrateful for it.

“I would feel sad if DAP won again in Teluk Intan. The Malays would be sad. The Indians would be even sadder.

“But the Chinese would be fine, because they have all sorts of businesses. But if it weren’t for the Malays or Indians who buy goods from them, they wouldn’t have any business.

“It is the Malays and the Indians who help Chinese businessmen. And when they vote, they choose DAP. They are ungrateful,” Zahid told about 100 Malays in Durian Sebatang, Teluk Intan, yesterday.

Anwar told the crowd last night that if the BN leaders do not respect them, they should reject BN and vote DAP this Saturday, May 31.

The opposition leader also praised Dyana for her youth and experience and for working with DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang, whom he described as a tireless leader.

“Dyana is still young, if she does something wrong, we can teach her. Kit Siang had the foresight; he trained her for a year in politics.

“Do you think it is easy working with Kit Siang? He does not know the meaning of being tired, he does not know how to sleep – even I don’t know what he takes. Ginseng tablets, or maybe Tongkat Ali,” said Anwar in jest.

He also slammed BN for resorting to “bikini politics” to fight Dyana, who has been the victim of hooliganism, sexism and an online smear campaign since her candidacy was announced.

“Talk about your (BN’s) education policies, what you want to do for the people of Teluk Intan, the prices of goods. Instead you ask: what lipstick are you wearing? What brand of bikini are you wearing?

“This is Umno-BN’s politics, even though in Islam, you are not supposed to cheat people, insult people, or lay bare their sins. This is xiao ren (disgusting) politics,” said Anwar.

He said he was also confused as to why Gerakan still held any appeal for voters in Teluk Intan, given its track record in Penang.

“Does Gerakan even still exist? I am confused, in Penang people don’t care for Gerakan anymore, so why are they still around in Teluk Intan?” he said.

Mah, who is Gerakan president, won the Teluk Intan seat twice in the 1999 and 2004 general elections, but lost to DAP’s M. Manogaran and Seah  in 2008 and 2013 with 1,470 and 7,313-votes majority respectively.

Teluk Intan has 60,349 voters including 410 early voters and 12 absentee voters. Early voting is scheduled for today.

The constituency has 23,301 Malay voters (38.6%), 25,310 Chinese voters (41.9%) and 11,648 Indian voters (19%).

The DAP first won the federal seat, then known as Teluk Anson, in the 1969 election, when Chan Fu King beat MCA’s Dr Ng Kam Poh in a major upset. – May 25, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 27 May 2014, 9:36 am and is filed under
DAP
,
Dyana Sofya
,
Telok Intan by-e
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


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.

And the reasons for this extend beyond her looks and youth, despite what her detractors would have you believe. I don’t buy for a second that Dyana has in any way betrayed her race or religion by turning her back on Umno. But if Umno truly believes this, they need to sit down and seriously consider the possible reasons for this so-called “betrayal.”

Dyana is, after all, Malay, born into an Umno family (her mother is still a member), and educated at UiTM; three ingredients that would normally guarantee her lifelong loyalty to Umno. And yet she chose the supposedly unthinkable ― joining DAP as Lim Kit Siang’s political secretary before running for MP on a DAP ticket.

The reaction from most quarters has been surprisingly positive. Amidst all the catcalls and wolf whistles from dirty old men, there seems to be real fascination with, and support for, the young law graduate. Instead of belittling, heckling and insulting her at every turn, Umno would do far better to engage in some self-reflection as to why, exactly, so many young, educated Malays are choosing to abandon the party.

They don’t have far to look ― Dyana has told us in her own words why she chose DAP: “I did it because I felt Malaysia needed a new kind of politics. I had seen how racial politics was nothing but a scam. My mother is Malay, yet she was shunned by the very party that claims to protect Malays. Hence, the racial model is nothing but a means for power-hungry leaders to stay in power. The only way forward for our country is to break this model of racial politics.”

Many young Bumiputera (me included) feel the same. Dr Mahathir laments the fact that today’s youth have forgotten the struggles of early Umno leaders in defending Malay rights. But the old Umno, lead by Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Abdul Razak, simply no longer exists. In Umno Baru, young Malays don’t necessarily see their struggles articulated, let alone solved. All they see is a pervasive culture of corruption and nepotism that benefits the already privileged and further alienates the poor.

Dr Mahathir has also previously accused young people who studied in the West of having their minds infused with “Western” concepts ― things like equality, justice and human rights. Yet Dyana was educated right here at UiTM, an exclusively Bumiputera establishment. Where, then, do her views come from? Ironically, it appears they were the direct result of her time at the university, where, in her own words, “I noticed the discrepancy where rich children of Umno leaders were admitted into UiTM while poorer but more qualified non-Umno linked families were shut out.”

Like it or not, equality, justice and human rights are of fundamental importance to young people ― they recognise that an unfair system, even when it privileges them, is still an unfair system. This is an issue that is particularly close to my own heart. Having benefited in the past from policies that favour Bumiputeras, I have often questioned what it means to be both Malay and Malaysian and whether these two identities are ever in conflict. Logic dictates they shouldn’t be; the reality, as I’ve found, is far more complicated.

Having lived abroad now for several years, the identity that has defined me above all else has been Malaysian. Being able to call myself Malaysian matters to me, in a million ways I can’t fully express. Increasingly, many young people, while retaining an appreciation of their culture, no longer identify themselves or others purely along racial lines. They see themselves, first and foremost, as Malaysians. And even when they don’t, they still don’t see Umno as the solution to their problems.

The youth are often inexperienced, but they aren’t idiots. Malaysian universities may ban politics on campus, but it doesn’t stop students from forming and expressing strong opinions about the future of their nation. Now more than ever, whether educated locally or abroad, young people care about issues ― corruption, racism, sexism, freedom of speech, the rising cost of living ― and they often care passionately.

For too long now, Umno has propagated the myth that the only way for Malays to protect their rights is to join them. But Dyana is fast dismantling that myth. Distracting the rakyat with what amounts to blatant smear tactics does nothing to address the deep disillusionment felt by the nation’s youth. And as more and more defect to “the other side”, BN needs to think long and hard about what it can do win them back.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 27 May 2014, 8:33 am and is filed under
DAP
,
Dyana Sofya
,
Elections
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


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.

“What do you get from voting DAP’s candidate? Of course Dyana looks pretty,” said Umno’s Pasir Salak MP Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, who is also the deputy minister of agriculture and agro-based industry.

“Of course we like to gawk at her beauty, that is not wrong. We can’t blame her for being beautiful. But the one we want to choose, is to be a representative for Teluk Intan folks.”

Umno information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan also trumpeted Mah’s four bachelor degrees to Dyana’s diploma, and insisted again that the by-election is not a beauty pageant.

“If this is a beauty pageant, even my wife could win it. Even Tajuddin’s wife could win it too.”

“This is not a contest for beauty pageant, we want to find a representative who is fit for us,” said the deputy finance minister.

Dyana’s youthful good looks have put her in the spotlight, but Pakatan Rakyat leaders insisted that the initial preoccupation with her looks is just “temporary delirium” born of her novelty.

Despite having played up the young DAP hopeful’s looks during the opposition’s first rally in Teluk Intan, several of the pact’s leaders now insist that Dyana’s other qualities will soon come to the fore.

Dyana also played down the attention on her looks, telling The Malay Mail Online that she was confident her supporters would be “smart enough” to know that she is not just another pretty face.

The former political aide to DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang will be going up against two-term former Teluk Intan member of parliament, Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong in the May 31 by-election.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 27 May 2014, 9:47 am and is filed under
DAP
,
Dyana Sofya
,
Elections
,
Telok Intan by-e
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


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.

Just as Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was wrong to blame Dyana’s mother, Yammy Samat for failure of an UMNO family to ensure that their children love and remain loyal to UMNO – when he himself is incapable of doing the same, producing a Marina apart from a Mukriz – it is wrong for Ibrahim Abu Shah to take it as a personal failure and affront that one of the UiTM students is a DAP candidate in pursuit of the Malaysian Dream where all Malaysians regard themselves first as Malaysians and their race, religion and region second, which is also the objective of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s signature 1Malaysia policy.

In this new politics of the future, the old politics of race will be replaced by the politics of Malaysian nationalism based on issues of justice, freedom, accountability and good governance.

Ibrahim Abu Shah’s failure to kill the idealism and Malaysian Dream of UiTM students as proven by Dyana’s 3Bs of “beauty, brains and bravery” standing firm as a DAP/PR candidate in the Teluk Intan by-election holds great promise for the future of Malaysia – reinforcing the belief that the extremists are only a slight minority as the majority of Malaysians regardless of race or religion are moderates who want Malaysia to succeed as a united, harmonious, multi-racial, multi-religious, progressive, prosperous and competitive nation.

A blog article by a 20-year old final year English Literature student at the University of Oxford, Yasmin Disney, who is from Kuala Lumpur and inspired by Dyana’s candidature, reflects this yearning and striving for a Malaysian Dream.

This is what Yasmin wrote:

“Like it or not, equality, justice and human rights are of fundamental importance to young people ― they recognise that an unfair system, even when it privileges them, is still an unfair system. This is an issue that is particularly close to my own heart.

“Having benefited in the past from policies that favour Bumiputeras, I have often questioned what it means to be both Malay and Malaysian and whether these two identities are ever in conflict.

“Logic dictates they shouldn’t be; the reality, as I’ve found, is far more complicated.

“Having lived abroad now for several years, the identity that has defined me above all else has been Malaysian. Being able to call myself Malaysian matters to me, in a million ways I can’t fully express. Increasingly, many young people, while retaining an appreciation of their culture, no longer identify themselves or others purely along racial lines.

“They see themselves, first and foremost, as Malaysians. And even when they don’t, they still don’t see Umno as the solution to their problems.

“The youth are often inexperienced, but they aren’t idiots. Malaysian universities may ban politics on campus, but it doesn’t stop students from forming and expressing strong opinions about the future of their nation.

“Now more than ever, whether educated locally or abroad, young people care about issues ― corruption, racism, sexism, freedom of speech, the rising cost of living ― and they often care passionately.

“For too long now, Umno has propagated the myth that the only way for Malays to protect their rights is to join them.

“But Dyana is fast dismantling that myth.

“Distracting the rakyat with what amounts to blatant smear tactics does nothing to address the deep disillusionment felt by the nation’s youth. And as more and more defect to ‘the other side’, BN needs to think long and hard about what it can do win them back.”

Are the UMNO leaders and their apparatchits in all fields of national endeavour, particularly in the educational field like Ibrahm Abu Shah, capable of listening and responding to the yearnings and strivings of the Malaysians youths, whether Malays, Chineese, Indians, Kadazans or Ibans, for a Malaysian Dream or are they partaking in the dialogue of the deaf?

The Malaysian Dream is not a recent dream. It was the same Dream which was envisioned by the great Johor Malay leader and founding UMNO President Datuk Onn Jaafar in 1951 when he called on UMNO to open its doors to non-Malays and to change the name of UMNO to United Malayans National Organisation.

Datuk Onn Jaafar was too ahead of the times and had to leave UMNO.

Are Dyana, Yasmin and the new generation of Malaysian youths who yearn and strive for a Malaysian Dream in 2014, 63 years after Datuk Onn Jaafar, also still “too ahead of the times”?

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 27 May 2014, 6:46 pm and is filed under
DAP
,
Dyana Sofya
,
Elections
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


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.

If true Muslims do not chastise Ibrahim and Abdullah for not respecting non-Muslims, how can you expect non-Muslims to respect Islam?

Ibrahim and Abdullah are two very bad apples that have spoilt the whole bunch of good Muslims in Malaysia.

Back to Yammy. She became innocently involved in the early few months. When she found out how extremist and un-Islamic Ibrahim was, she left Perkasa for good and never looked back to a time when she was nearly deceived by an evil man.

This is not a mistake on her part, when she did not know about Ibrahim and Perkasa’s hidden agenda and covert philosophy. And a young Dyana like a good daughter was only helping her mother to do some volunteer work. What’s wrong with that?

I salute Yammy for rejecting Perkasa that advocates hate. How many Muslims have the courage to do the right thing to reject Perkasa?

I salute Dyana for having the courage to question “When did joining UiTM makes us Umno members?”

And her observation that “While a student in UiTM, I noticed the discrepancy where rich children of Umno leaders were admitted into UiTM while poorer but more qualified non-Umno linked families were shut out”.

The other weird point is they are finally admitting that Ibrahim and Perkasa are very bad people and so being involved in the past with them makes Yammy very bad too.

But, Umno, Najib and Dr Mahathir have endorsed Perkasa for years. Umno even funded and field some Perkasa candidates for GE13. Why don’t Muslims go after them?

So are you are saying it’s ok for Najib to endorse Perkasa but not ok for Yammy to be tricked into helping in the early set-up of Perkasa? What kind of twisted logic is that argument?

I’m at loss in trying to explain to my foreign friends who are asking me about my assessment of the irony of Malaysian politics. It simply does not make any sense.

Politicians attack the other with no substance. Home Minister Zahid makes really stupid, sexist remarks about who is prettier than Dyana. How is that relevant to the upcoming Teluk Intan election?

I’m very offended and many women are very offended too. In developed nations, such sexist politicians like Zahid will be pressured to resign by the media and the public.

In Umno ceramahs, they showed a video of a man, their rival, allegedly having sex. They were seen laughing and enjoying a sex show. Photos of a bikini clad Filipino actress was found circulated in a mosque.

Seriously, are they real Muslims? I know of many Muslims who wear bikini here and around the world. It’s a free choice. If you want to judge, make sure you are perfect first.

My colleagues asked me how is it possible that Anwar Ibrahim is the only politician probably in the world to be charged with sodomy, twice.

They don’t understand how a driver and a personal assistant would not object to their boss sodomising them. They said if their male boss were to force them in a sodomy act, they would immediately hit their boss and resign on the spot.

Then they asked about Awang Selamat, the editors of Utusan Malaysia who used Japanese porn star Maria Ozawa’s entry ban to Indonesia to justify the refusal of Japanese visa to Anwar.

It clearly implies that those holier-than-thou hypocrites have been watching porn to know that Ozawa is a top 10 porn star.

How much more can Malaysians tolerate such stupidity, sexism, gutter politics, and outright racism?

Yammy and Dyana are the new generation of empowered women. We encourage more women to stand up for your rights and make your own decisions. Don’t let people like Dr Mahathir, Zahid, and UiTM bully you to do what they want you to do.  Real power lies in you. Go and fulfill your dreams. – May 26, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 27 May 2014, 6:28 am and is filed under
DAP
,
Elections
,
Telok Intan by-e
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


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.

He unveiled his manifesto for the Saturday’s by-election yesterday, zeroing in on the constituency’s growth and development and promising a stadium, a university and increased tourism appeal for Teluk Intan.

Mah told reporters that his promises were on a larger scale because he was taking advantage of the fact that it was a by-election and the entire country was focussed on Teluk Intan.

“Before, when he won, when he was deputy minister, he did not do this. So now we ask him to not lie to us anymore. Fulfil your promises first, then we will consider,” Lim told some 3,000 people at a ceramah in Anson Industrial Park, Teluk Intan, last night.

“He will say, how can I fulfil the promises if I lose? It is possible. If he doesn’t win this May 31, he can still be a minister. Even if he says he will not accept the ministership, do not believe him.”

Lim said former Gerakan President Koh Tsu Koon made a similar promise in the 2008 national polls, only to be appointed as senator and made minister for four years after he lost that general election, adding that Mah had also broken a promise when campaigning to become Gerakan president last year.

“If Mah loses, don’t worry. He will still be a minister because he is the president of Gerakan. Even if he denies he will accept the ministership, we still remember his promise when he was contesting his party presidency.

“He said if he wins the Gerakan presidency, he would not contest in anymore elections. But he is contesting this by-election,” said Lim.

He said Teluk Intan voters should allow Mah to become a minister “through the back door” and hold him accountable to all the promises included in his manifesto.

“Once he becomes minister, we will tell him to do his work. Only then will we believe that he will bring him the development that he has promised,” added Lim.

Meanwhile, DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang told the same crowd last night Mah’s manifesto was worthless without the backing of BN.

“Today, Mah unveiled his manifesto for the Teluk Intan by-election. But what is this manifesto? Is it his own? Is it Gerakan’s? Or is it BN-Umno’s manifesto?

“If this was Mah’s manifesto, or Gerakan’s, what is the use of it? It is not worth the ink it is written with. It is not worth the paper it is written on,” said Kit Siang.

He challenged Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to come forward and declare that the manifesto was that of the BN-Umno government’s, and all the promises would be fulfilled. – May 27, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 27 May 2014, 9:01 am and is filed under
DAP
,
Elections
,
Telok Intan by-e
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Malaysians Laugh and Cry Over Proton’s new Chairman, Dr Mahathir

by Koon Yew Yin

27th May 2014

When I read the news that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had been appointed as Chairman of Proton Holdings Bhd., I could not help thinking that most Malaysians will be laughing and crying at the same time with this disclosure.

According to the report, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said that “I believe Tun’s appointment will certainly strengthen Proton, given’s his determination and high commitment to see the national car company succeed. Although there are many challenges ahead but in the pursuit to improve Proton’s competitiveness, I believe the company would accrue many benefits from his profound experience and knowledge.”

Why Malaysians Are Laughing

Malaysians are laughing because Dr. Mahathir has been de facto chairman of Proton ever since it was first set up. And even after his resignation as Prime Minister in 2003, he has continued to pull the strings on government policy on Proton. Therefore, there is no need to make him chairman unless it is to pay him the large salary that is normally paid to the Chairman of a very large car manufacturing company.

Earlier reports had mentioned that Dr. M who was serving as the adviser of Proton after he left the prime ministership position was not being paid a salary or allowances for his services. Perhaps the decision to formalize his position at the top of the company is simply Najib’s way of compensating Dr. Mahathir with big bucks for keeping his mouth shut on Najib’s poor leadership of the country.

Why Malaysians Are Crying Over Their Cars

At the same time, Malaysians must be crying with this news. They are crying because it is Dr. Mahathir who has been the chief catalyst and cheerleader of the national car project since 1983. It is an undeniable fact that this white elephant project has not only cost taxpayers billions of ringgit but has also burdened Malaysians with some of the worst cars found on Malaysian roads.

I don’t think it is necessary for me to go into the two fundamental mistakes Dr. Mahathir made in pushing for the national car project.

The first mistake is a basic Economics 101 rule, and this is that unless there is an enormous internal market such as in China or the United States, and we can take advantage of the economy of scale, small producers such as Malaysia are forever doomed to a minor placing, or bankruptcy, in the car marketplace.

Even medium sized European countries with larger national car markets cannot compete.  Of all countries in the world, only South Korea alone has been able to overcome this small national market limitation; and this has been due to the exceptional quality of its management capability, high technology and worker skills and discipline.

Played out by Mitsubishi

As far as Proton is concerned, Mahathir’s mistake in ignoring the economic fundamentals of the industry was compounded by our lack of expertise to produce cars, the low quality of Proton managers, our unskilled labour and our reliance on Mitsubishi for the anticipated technology transfer.

That technology transfer from Mitsubishi did not take place. This should have been expected. Why should Mitsubishi transfer their know-how to Malaysia when it can control the pace of transfer to maximize its profits? Mitsubishi knew that Proton could not do without them and they were quite happy to continue making money from Proton while the company here continued to bleed to death.

Government increased import duty to protect

To induce Malaysians to buy Proton, the government increased the import duty for other cars and car parts. As a result, the consumers have suffered. For over 30 years Malaysians have been crying over having to pay higher prices for all cars including Proton. Even this has not been sufficient to save Proton which has been sold five times already. The end result is that a minority of affluent Malaysians have ended up with more expensive cars of other brands whilst most Malaysians have had little choice but to buy Proton – a poor substitute.

Sack Dr. Mahathir

With Dr. Mahathir’s appointment as Chairman of Proton, Malaysians can expect to cry more when their car prices not only remain high but go even higher if Dr. Mahathir has his way to protect the national car with even greater levels of handicaps against foreign cars.

Instead of appointing him as Chairman, Prime Minister Najib Razak should have sacked him as the Proton adviser! Unfortunately this has not happened. The burden of the highest car prices in the region is the price we have to pay for brainless nationalism and equally brainless leadership on our national car project.

Why not let Proton crash like MH 370?

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 27 May 2014, 7:23 am and is filed under
Mahathir
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.