Alumni UiTM mudah lupa

By
Ahmad Tempe

MAY 21, 2014 | TMI

Henry A Kissinger pernah menyebut “university politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are too small”. Ini membawa erti yang politik di universiti itu ganas kerana pertaruhannya kecil.

Tidak perlu cari mat kaki demo atau “pemberontak” seperti Khalid Ismath jika mahu mentafsirkan “keganasan” politik di Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM). Cukup sekadar kita temuramah mat-mat kaki “dating” atau mat “dota” dan mereka akan menjawab: “Ala, UiTM ni kita kena sokong kerajaan (baca:Umno/BN), kalau tidak susah kita nanti.”

Hari ini, Persatuan Alumni UiTM Malaysia secara tiba-tiba lantang mengingatkan calon DAP Teluk Intan, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud supaya berhenti menggunakan nama UiTM dalam tujuan kempen kerana UiTM sepatutnya “bebas”. Tulisan ini bukanlah bertujuan untuk membela atau mengangkat si Dyana.

Saya juga bukanlah hendak menjadi batu api atau bertelagah dengan geng-geng alumni ini. Tetapi, hendak bebas itu bebas yang bagaimana?

Semua orang tahu UiTM mempunyai “pusat latihan tidak rasmi Umno”. Siapa tidak tahu proses untuk menjadi calon Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar (MPP) UiTM pun ketat? Mesti mesra kerajaan? Hendak berahsia bagaimana lagi?

Sebelum ini pun UiTM pernah menjadi medan kempen bagi Umno/BN apabila Datuk Seri Najib Razak hadir untuk berucap serta menabur janji kepada mahasiswa UiTM di samping menjamu makanan enak-enak (baca: KFC).

Selain itu, alumni juga jangan lupa UiTM pernah menjadi pentas bagi Pertandingan Pidato Politik Pemuda Barisan Nasional. Hendak sorok mana lagi?

Itu belum lagi kempen politik yang dihadiri Dr Sidek Baba pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13) lalu. Persidangan Khas Tahunan Perkasa ke-2 di Dewan Agung Tunku Canselor, UiTM Shah Alam pula siapa hendak jawab? Bagaimana dengan mahasiswa UiTM Cawangan Sabah yang didakwa kerana berfahaman lain daripada yang ‘betul’? Tetapi mahasiswa yang terlibat dengan politik Umno/BN dibiarkan bebas?

Bukan tugas saya hendak sebut satu-satu kempen politik yang dijalankan di UiTM. Tidak perlu disebut semua. Tetapi, cukup sekadar memberi peringatan supaya kita ‘cakap serupa bikin’.

Orang Melayu selalu cakap kita ‘janganlah meludah ke langit’. Jika Alumni benar mahu membebaskan UiTM daripada cengkaman politik dan ikhlas mahu memberi kebebasan terhadap setiap individu berpartisipasi dalam sistem demokrasi, bersihkan dahulu rumah sendiri.

Bebaskan anak-anak Melayu supaya pada masa akan datang mereka bebas. Bebas memilih dan bebas untuk berterbangan.  Janganlah kita lupa tentang ucapan penggulungan Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad ketika Rang Undang-Undang Institut Teknologi Mara dan Rang Undang-Undang institut-institut pelajaran (tatatertib) bertarikh 17 April 1976 yang menyebut:

“….saya berharap janganlah institusi pelajaran kita jadikan sebagai assembly line dan kita keluarkan orang yang fikiran yang sama, pendapat yang sama dan kebolehan yang sama seperti motokar dan jentera yang dibuat melalui assembly line. Kita berharap mereka ini akan berbagai corak supaya negara ini tidak merupakan satu negara yang penuh dengan orang yang serupa fikiran, serupa muka, serupa semuanya sehingga membosankan kita melihat orang yang sama rupanya dengan kita.”

Justeru, bebaskan mahasiswa UiTM!

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 21 May 2014, 1:28 pm and is filed under
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Five reasons Malaysians should be grateful to Umno

COMMENTARY BY THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER

MAY 21, 2014

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

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

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

In keeping with the Umno spirit, the Malaysian Insider offers five reasons we must “tabik” Umno politicians.

1) We must be grateful to Umno because they have blurred all the lines between right and wrong; and wiped out the offence of corruption. There is no more moral quandary thanks to Messrs Najib, Muhyiddin and Mahathir.

Malaysians can live beyond their means, cheat on taxes, buy cars and houses on ill-gotten gains and feel no remorse or guilt. Why? Because all Umno leaders do so. We repeat, all.

There is not one cabinet minister who will pass a lie detector test on how he or she accumulated their wealth and all will fail spectacularly even the most cursory check by the MACC on living beyond their means.

From classic Porsches to apartments in tony suburbs in London, they have it all. So, Malaysians must be grateful to them for showing how to live the good life without a conscience.

2) We must be grateful to Umno for showing us that family is important. Nothing must trump kin in the award of contracts, concessions to sons, daughters, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, sisters, brothers, nephews. You get the picture by now.

So, we have the son-in-law of a senior Umno minister who is the proud owner of a super expensive bio-metric concession; a youngish son-in-law of another senior Umno minister who has a sweet heart deal; a brother of another senior Umno minister who is doing extremely well as a broker for foreign labour.

And then there are the countless children of Umno politicians who have suddenly become very rich individuals, some on the list of the richest men in Malaysia. And we have not even started on the First family and their kin.

So, thank you Umno for showing us that family is important.

3) We must be grateful to Umno because it is no longer an object of derision to spew nonsense in Malaysia; to speak with a forked tongue or to flip-flop on anything.

Ahmad Maslan, Rithuan Tee, Hishammuddin Hussein, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Ahmad Said… To steal a line from a famous budget airline: Now everyone can talk rubbish.

4) We must be grateful to Umno because they have demonstrated how to build up something with sweat and tears over decades and break it up overnight with wayward words and actions.

Granted, the Umno of old played an important role in building up Malaysia but somewhere along the way the culture of rent-seeking, the influx of morally-bankrupt individuals and a surge in chauvinism and fear of losing power combined to turn the ruling party into a wrecking ball.

To cling on to power, Umno has damaged institutions from the judiciary to the police, divided Malaysia along racial and religious lines and destroyed this blessed country. So, thank you for damaging this blessed country.

5) We must be grateful to Umno for charting policies and plans that allowed Malaysia’s education system to be where it is today: in the abyss.

Our primary schoolchildren are lagging behind their counterparts in Vietnam; our universities are non-existent in regional or global rankings; our graduates can’t speak or write proper English and these days, the entry of a product of the education system into Harvard is as rare as the prime minister’s presence in Parliament.

So, thank you Umno. We are grateful. – May 21, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 21 May 2014, 1:53 pm and is filed under
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Marina: Dyana is three-up on most politicians

Malaysiakini

May 21, 2014

Social activist Marina Mahathir has commended Teluk Intan DAP by-election candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud ,saying she is a smart girl who can think.

“She can articulate. She can write. That’s three up over most politicians already,” she said in a Facebook posting.

Marina was commenting on Dyana’s response in an article to a comment made by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Razali Ibrahim, who had taken the Teluk Intan by-election DAP candidate’s to task over criticism on her alma mater and asking her why she did not criticise Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman.

Commenting further on Facebook in reply to her followers, Marina said very few top politicians write their own speeches let alone articles.

“In any case, why are people against her because she is young?” she asked.

“(Prime minister) Najib Razak was 26 when he first became a minister. Dyana’s 27, and only vying for a parliamentary seat. We should have more young people for the fresh young ideas they bring,” she commented further.

Not joining any political party

Marina, further laughed off suggestions of her joining a political party unlike her father who was Umno president and prime minister for 22 years.

In her posting she said apparently someone said she’d joined DAP.

“All I can say is…..hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!! Funniest thing I’ve heard in ages,” she said.

Referring to Dyana mother Yammy Samat’s statement in response to Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s statement, Marina thinks that someone had misread what Yammy had said.

“No folks, I’m not joining any political parties. It’s not the only way to serve the country. And I really don’t want have to talk politics all the time….sometimes I just wanna talk tennis…French Open coming up!” she exclaimed.

Yammy had yesterday said that she tried raising Dyana to be like Mukhriz but her daughter ended up being like Marina instead.

Marina who also contributes a column in an English daily, further said no political party had offered her membership.

“I think it’s quite telling that not a single party has ever asked me to join. They take one look at me and think “oh no, she’s a difficult one” and go off and do something else…”

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 21 May 2014, 12:45 pm and is filed under
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Pak Samad on Teluk Intan by-election

Letak Melayu didakwa hiasan;

letak Cina dikata perkauman.

Diletak apa pun kurang selesa,

eloklah diletak bebayang saja!

https://twitter.com/asamadsaid

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 21 May 2014, 12:06 pm and is filed under
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Siapa mengkhianati siapa?

– Sakmongkol AK47

The Malaysian Insider

MAY 20, 2014

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

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

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

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

Yang bertanding ialah anak, yang jadi mangsa ialah emaknya.

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

Perbuatan yang Umno lakukan sama seperti yang dilakukan oleh golongan feudal zaman dahulu, disebabkan fakta bahawa Umno itu sebetulnya, sebuah parti politik feudal.

Modal besar Umno dalam PRK Teluk Intan ialah isu perkauman. Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud diletak sebagai hiasan oleh DAP.

Hiasan tak hiasan, memang objektif DAP ialah meningkatkan keyakinan orang Melayu. Sama seperti Umno letak MCA, MIC dan Gerakan.

Semua itu perhiasan untuk Umno untuk tujuan yang sama – memancing pengundi bangsa bukan Melayu.

Kenapa ianya boleh dilakukan oleh Umno tapi tidak boleh dilakukan oleh parti DAP? Ianya bukan suatu jenayah.

Inilah pemikiran orang Melayu peringkat JKKK. Bila tiada Melayu dalam DAP, dia kata DAP parti rasis, tidak beri Melayu masuk DAP.

Bila Melayu masuk DAP, dia akan kata, Melayu itu perhiasan dan pengkhianat bangsa.

Mengenai bab pengkhianat ini orang Umno memang cukup handal. Sebab mereka pengkhianat bangsa Melayu yang paling besar.

Tanah rizab Melayu yang dahulunya ada tiga juta hektar, sekarang hanya tinggal separuh. Yang jual ialah pemimpin Umno. Ini khianat kepada bangsa Melayu.

Daripada RM54 billion nilai saham yang Umno agihkan kepada golongan terpilih, sekarang hanya tinggal RM2 billion. RM52 billion dijual kepada bangsa lain. Siapakah pengkhianat bangsa Melayu?

Tahun lalu, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) sebut mereka untung berbillion ringgit tapi semalam Najib kata, tarif kena naik kerana hendak selamatkan TNB.

Bagaimana kita terangkan kontradiksi ini? Kata untung tapi kena naikkan tarif kerana hendak selamat?

Malang yang menimpa TNB ini ialah kerana perjanjian berat sebelah antara IPP dengan TNB yang dipaksakan oleh Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

TNB kena beli letrik pada kadar 19 sen seunit dan jual pada pengguna pada harga 15 sen seunit. Ini perniagaan apa?

IPP tidak ada kos operasi bahkan beli gas pun dapat subsidi. Siapa yang pengkhianat? Yang pengkhianat kepada negara ini ialah orang yang paksa TNB beli kuasa dari IPP ini.

Jadi bila dalam bab pengkhianat ini, Umno tidak ada autoriti moral hendak bercakap mengenai pengkhianatan. Pengkhianatan dan Umno adalah sinonim.

Orang Umno macam tak reti bahasa – mengapa tidak boleh menerima bahawa bukan semua orang Melayu mahu dekat dengan Umno?

Orang yang berada di luar Umno tidak boleh diadili dengan piawai yanga ada pada Umno- semua tak boleh pakai. (1) kepada Umno-Melayu itu mesti ahli Umno (2) Melayu itu mesti sokong Umno.

Yang susah sangat Umno terima bahawa ada lebih ramai Melayu tidak berada dalam Umno ini mengapa?

Jika Melayu ini memilih untuk tidak menyertai Umno, adakah kurang keMelayuan mereka?

Umno cakap besar bahawa orang Melayu kembali menyokong mereka. Dalam Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13), jumlah undi yang Umno dapat ialah 3.2 juta undi.

Jumlah ahli Umno pun 3.4 juta. Apa sudah jadi kepada 200,000 pengundi ahli Umno? Mereka tidak menyokong calon Umno?

Mustahil dari 3.2 juta ini, pengundi Umno semuanya orang Melayu. Bangsa bukan Melayu pun mengundi calon Umno.

Kalau kita andaikan bahawa 80% daripada undi yang calon Umno dapat datang dari bangsa Melayu, maka orang Melayu yang mengundi calon Umno ialah 2.6 juta sahaja.

Jumlah undi yang BN dapat ialah 5.24 juta. dari jumlah ini, berapa agaknya pengundi Melayu? Katalah 60%.

Maka jumlah orang Melayu yang keluar menyokong Umno ialah 3 juta orang.

Maxima Umno dapat ialah 3 juta undi orang Melayu. Sekarang daripada 11.23 juta pengundi yang keluar mengundi dalam PRU13, berapa orang Melayu. 60%?

Jika 60% maka jumlah pengundi Melayu ialah 6.74 juta. Tolak 3 juta Melayu yang undi Umno, ada 3.74 juta orang Melayu yang tidak undi Umno.

Maka bila Umno kata orang Melayu sudah kembali kepada pangkuan mereka, itu adalah suatu pembohongan yang paling besar.

Umno ada 3.4 juta ahli. Yang bising hiruk-pikuk tak sampai 15 ribu Melayu yang jadi ahli DAP itu mengapa? Bagaimana 15 ribu Melayu ini menggugat 3.4 juta soldadu Umno? – sakmongkol.blogspot.com, 20 Mei, 2014.

* Penulis atau nama sebenarnya Datuk Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz ialah Ahli Parlimen Raub.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 21 May 2014, 11:49 am and is filed under
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Zaid: ‘Gutter politics’ in Teluk Intan puts Malaysia in Indonesia’s shade

The Malay Mail Online

MAY 21, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 — Umno’s personal attacks against DAP candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud despite the party’s claims of upholding Islam exposes the violent political culture dominating Malaysia, said Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

Comparing the tone in Teluk Intan with Indonesia’s recent presidential election, the former Cabinet minister noted that campaigning in the neighbouring country remained civil despite the much higher stakes.

In the minor Malaysian by-election, however, Zaid pointed out that Dyana Sofya has come in for all manner of personal attacks from rival Umno, who have labelled her a traitor to the party, a sell-out to her people, and a puppet of the DAP, among others.

“To put it simply, Indonesia has progressed in many ways in their quest to build a nation with values all Indonesians share as a people — but in Malaysia, the Malays seem to be going backwards.

“Perhaps the great success of the New Economic Policy (NEP) has somehow made Malays ‘different’,” Zaid wrote on his blog yesterday.

The NEP is the technically-defunct race-based affirmative action that created a system of preferential treatment for the Bumiputera in jobs, housing and access to government funding.

The former Kota Baru MP also condemned Umno’s leaders for failing to restrain the party’s followers from engaging in the “virulent” attacks against the political secretary to DAP national adviser Lim Kit Siang, pointing out that this ran counter to the party’s professed embrace of Islamic values.

Dyana Sofya’s political choices are her own, Zaid argued, and do not make her a race traitor simply for not joining the Malay nationalist party to which her family has links to.

He also urged the Chinese voters to look beyond racial lines when examining their choice between Dyana Sofya and Gerakan’s Datuk Mah Siew Keong, saying that their vote should go to the Malay candidate if they believe she will be a good lawmaker.

“The idea that only a leader from your own ethnic background can serve you well is a lie — you just have to look at real democracies to know this.”

Aside from the criticism from Umno, the DAP candidate is also the target of an Internet smear campaign purportedly by pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) bloggers.

These include a photograph of a Filipino actress in a bikini that was then claimed to be of Dyana Sofya, and picture of her together with president of Malay rights group Perkasa, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, which was used to suggest her affiliation with his movement.

Dyana will face Gerakan president Mah in a straight fight for Teluk Intan.

Mah won the Teluk Intan seat in 1999 and 2004, but lost to DAP’s M. Manogaran in 2008 with a 1,470-vote majority.

DAP’s Seah Leong Peng had defeated Mah in 2013 with a 7,313 majority before succumbing to advanced bladder cancer on May 1, this year.

The voter base in Teluk Intan is 42 per cent Chinese, 38 per cent Malay and 19 per cent Indian, making a total of 60,349 registered voters.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 21 May 2014, 1:41 pm and is filed under
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Arise, the Malay that Umno fears

 – Umran Kadir

The Malaysian Insider

May 21, 2014

Sheriff John Brown always hated me

For what I don’t know

Ev’ry time I plant a seed

He said, “Kill it before it grows.”

He said, “Kill them before they grow.” – Bob Marley, I Shot the Sheriff

The entry of Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud onto the political scene has been met by an unprecedented and sustained attack by some of the biggest guns in Umno: an Umno Supreme Council member, the head of Wanita Umno and none other than Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself.

But why is a political novice like her deserving of so much attention by the powers-that-be?

I would argue that it is because she represents everything that Umno does not want the Malays to be – capable, confident and unshackled.

Unshackled from the unhealthy culture of dependency that Umno has created and reinforced through a constant stream of propaganda and paranoia – all with the cynical aim of perpetuating Umno’s hegemony.

The unshackling of the Malay psyche spells the beginning of the end for the gravy train called Umno because it means that Umno can no longer take for granted that Malays will vote for them.

This is why they are so desperate to kill off Dyana Sofya’s political career before it has even begun.

Dyana Sofya is an even bigger threat than more established and prominent Malay opposition figures for the simple reason that her motives cannot be so easily brought into question.

Going by Umno’s narrative, Nurul Izzah Anwar is part of a political dynasty, Ariff Sabri is a disgruntled Umno man and Zairil Khir Johari is not a “real” Malay.

Yet it is not as easy to cast aspersions on an entrant like Dyana Sofya, particularly when in their own estimation, she stands more to lose than to gain.

She is a middle class Malay who grew up in Malaysia and graduated from UiTM with a law degree. To top it off her mother is an Umno member.

She is, it would seem, a product of Umno’s largesse. A comfortable life would surely have been in store for her had she opted for the default path so well trodden by many before her.

However, she rejected that path in favour of a harder one. Today she stands on a DAP ticket and speaks out against the injustices perpetrated by the Umno-led government.

She does this not because she is ungrateful but because she recognises that her gratitude should be directed to all Malaysian taxpayers and accordingly to the Malaysian people as a whole.

This is something Umno’s leaders simply cannot fathom or accept because they remain stuck in their feudal mindset. And it panics them.

It scares them that there may be other Dyana Sofyas out there. Malays whose conscience cannot be bought and who will not be cowed.

Malays who choose to live by the ideals of truth, equality and justice and who wish to build a better Malaysia hand in hand with their fellow countrymen.

It is time we showed Umno that they are right to be scared.

Arise, the confident, capable and unshackled Malay. – May 21, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 22 May 2014, 7:15 am and is filed under
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Call on the people of Teluk Intan to protect Dyana Sofya from the wiles of UMNO/BN who want to break her political will and fighting spirit with lies and falsehoods in the way they have succeeded in destroying DAP and other Opposition leaders in the past

I fully agree with Sin Chew columnist Ng Miew Luan who in her article today gave  three  reasons for UMNO’s strong reaction to Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud as DAP candidate for Teluk Intan by-election causing the Wanita Umno leader, Datuk Shahrizat Jalil, UMNO Youth leader, Khairy Jamaluddin and even former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to open fire on her.

These three factors are firstly, UMNO stagnates in  the struggle of mono-racial politics and paternalistic leadership and has not been able to change with the times; secondly, UMNO equates itself with the government; and thirdly, UMNO equates itself with the nation; and it is this inability to differentiate party from nation in its political operations which have caused negative consequences.

There is today a very perceptive opinion piece
“Arise, the Malay that Umno fears”
  in The Malaysian Insider by Umran Kadir, who wrote:

“The entry of Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud onto the political scene has been met by an unprecedented and sustained attack by some of the biggest guns in Umno: an Umno Supreme Council member, the head of Wanita Umno and none other than Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself.

“But why is a political novice like her deserving of so much attention by the powers-that-be?

“I would argue that it is because she represents everything that Umno does not want the Malays to be – capable, confident and unshackled.

“Unshackled from the unhealthy culture of dependency that Umno has created and reinforced through a constant stream of propaganda and paranoia – all with the cynical aim of perpetuating Umno’s hegemony.

“The unshackling of the Malay psyche spells the beginning of the end for the gravy train called Umno because it means that Umno can no longer take for granted that Malays will vote for them.

“This is why they are so desperate to kill off Dyana Sofya’s political career before it has even begun.”

Umran  continued:

“She is, it would seem, a product of Umno’s largesse. A comfortable life would surely have been in store for her had she opted for the default path so well trodden by many before her.

“However, she rejected that path in favour of a harder one. Today she stands on a DAP ticket and speaks out against the injustices perpetrated by the Umno-led government.

“She does this not because she is ungrateful but because she recognises that her gratitude should be directed to all Malaysian taxpayers and accordingly to the Malaysian people as a whole.

“This is something Umno’s leaders simply cannot fathom or accept because they remain stuck in their feudal mindset. And it panics them.

“It scares them that there may be other Dyana Sofyas out there. Malays whose conscience cannot be bought and who will not be cowed.

“Malays who choose to live by the ideals of truth, equality and justice and who wish to build a better Malaysia hand in hand with their fellow countrymen.

“It is time we showed Umno that they are right to be scared.

“Arise, the confident, capable and unshackled Malay.”

The Malaysian Insider carried a perceptive commentary two days ago, entitled: “Why is Dyana Sofya a threat to Umno?” which gave four reasons why UMNO is so afraid of the young UiTM graduate, whose member is an Umno members, viz:

* Firstly, Dyana Sofya’s candidacy on a DAP ticket shows that Umno is not the only party for Malays, apart from PKR or PAS. Particularly when more Malaysians are seeing themselves as Malaysians and not identifying themselves along racial lines.

* Secondly, Dr Mahathir is right, the younger generation have forgotten the hard work of the early Umno members and leaders. Perhaps that is because the old Umno was de-registered under his watch.

The Umno today is Umno Baru, a pale shadow of the Umno of Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Abdul Razak Hussein that fought for Malaya’s independence in 1957. The Umno today believes in keeping everything for itself, and only sharing the crumbs with others.

And every day, Umno gives Malaysians a reason to detest them. Every day.

* Thirdly, Dyana Sofya’s candidacy shows that there are political parties out there willing to gamble on youth and idealism rather than just rely on the tried and tested or the experienced politician.

Malaysia’s future belongs to Dyana Sofya’s generation, not the ones who have already tasted power and want to keep it for a while more.

* Fourthly, Dyana Sofya’s candidacy shows that young graduates, even from local varsities, such as UiTM, have the intelligence, mettle and leadership skills to strike their own path instead of following what their parents want them to do.

The commentary concluded:

“If more Malaysians, especially Malays, follow Dyana Sofya’s footsteps, then a party like Umno will come to an untimely end.

“Umno cannot allow that to happen and it has to demonise, castigate, heckle and humiliate Dyana Sofya so that others will not follow her footsteps and join parties willing to take a chance on them.

“Her success and victory in Teluk Intan will be more than just DAP keeping a seat in parliament or another young Malay becoming a DAP MP. It also means that Umno cannot assert itself as the only platform for the Malays to keep power or run Malaysia.

“That is the sad state of Umno these days, that it has to fight a young woman just to keep power. “

I would only refer to the first reason in another article,
“Five reasons Malaysians should be grateful to UMNO”
, viz:

“1) We must be grateful to Umno because they have blurred all the lines between right and wrong; and wiped out the offence of corruption. There is no more moral quandary thanks to Messrs Najib, Muhyiddin and Mahathir.”

This is why I had said that the Teluk Intan by-election contest is a battle between the future and the past; between politics of the new versus the politics of the old; and whether the politics of race which had blighted the country for over five decades could be given a “sent-off” and be replaced by the politics of Malaysian nationalism based on the issues of justice, freedom and good governance and not on communalism.

National Laureate Pak Samad summed up  the moral choice before Malaysians in Teluk Intan when he wrote following stanza on the Teluk Intan by-election:

“Letak Melayu didakwa hiasan;

letak Cina dikata perkauman.

Diletak apa pun kurang selesa,

eloklah diletak bebayang saja!”

The DAP leadership has been accused of being over-protective of Dyana Sofya.

There is no doubt that there is a concerted, systematic and devilish campaign to destroy Dyana’s political will and fighting spirit for justice, fair play and good governance in Malaysia, with the sexist attacks on Dyana, the politics of hooliganism to obstruct her campaign and the lies and falsehoods which had been peddled by hate-mongers and extremists both before and after Dyana’s nomination as Teluk Intan by-election on Monday.

I have continued to this day to be the target of lies, falsehoods and calumny, whether on the social media, the Internet or in the UMNO/BN campaign trails.

They have been trying to destroy my political will and fighting spirit for the past 48 years but they have failed, despite detaining me twice under the Internal Security Act and prosecuting and persecuting me in court.

Other DAP leaders, including Lim Guan Eng and Karpal Singh, had been the target of such dastardly attacks to break our political principles and commitment.

By and large, they have failed, as the DAP had grown from strength to strength in the past 48 years, despite the many trials and tribulations of party leaders and the party.

But there had been a few casualties, mostly in the 70s but also in the eighties,  nineties and in recent times when a few DAP leaders succumbed to the campaign to break their political will and fighting spirit.

Now they are focussing on Dyana.

The DAP leadership does not apologise for being protective of Dyana and all young DAP leaders from the wicked campaign of lies and falsehoods whether on the social media or during the campaign trails.

In fact,  I want to make a special plea today to the people of Teluk Intan, the fathers and mothers, the grandfathers and grandmothers  and the young generation to help protect Dyana from the wiles of UMNO/BN who want to break her political will and fighting spirit with lies and falsehoods in the way they have succeeded in destroying a few DAP and other Opposition leaders in the past.

The Barisan Nasional candidate for Teluk Intan and Gerakan President, Datuk Mah Siew Keong has told the Star that young  outstation Teluk Intan voters returning to vote in the by-election will hurt his chances of winning.

Clearly, Mah would not want young outstation voters to return to Teluk Intan to vote and he would like to see the young generation from Teluk Intan to  abdicate from their responsibility to help determine the future of Malaysia.

I do not agree. I call on every young outstation voter of Teluk Intan who is outside the town, whether in Perak, Johore or elsewhere in Malaysia, or even in Singapore, to make a special effort to return to vote in the by-election on May 31, for they must not allow Malaysia to regress to become a failed state by default.

(Media Conference Statement at the DAP Teluk Intan by-election operations centre on Thursday, May 22, 2014 at 12 pm)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 22 May 2014, 1:52 pm and is filed under
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‘Do it again and DAP HQ will burn’

Lee Long Hui

Malaysiakini

May 22, 2014

Umno Youth members issued a fiery warning to DAP, threatening to torch the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur if its elected representatives hurled insults again.

Angry shouts of “let’s burn it down” and “kill them” rang out at a protest outside the building when Federal Territory Umno Youth chief Mohd Razlan Mohd Rafii asked if submitting a memorandum was sufficient.

He then warned DAP that the next insult would invite a “catastrophic” response.

“If we only wanted to submit a memorandum, we can e-mail or fax it. Remember what happened today.

“I warn you. If you humiliate our party and race again, we will burn this building down – this building, which has produced many racists,” Razlan thundered.

The protest comes in the wake of Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin’s condemnation of his wing’s members who stormed the Penang state assembly building on Tuesday.

Umno Youth is seething over DAP Seri Delima assemblyperson RSN Rayer’s refusal to apologise over his “celaka Umno” remark.

Rayer was referring to the protest organised by Umno in January where they unfurled a banner stating: ‘Because of DAP’s leaders mouth, May 13, 1969 happened… Want some more?’

Party billboard torn down

At the DAP headquarters this afternoon, witnesses claimed that Razlan and his men also attempted to burn an effigy of Rayer but the rain foiled their plan.

The 50 odd protesters came armed with banners and placards, which among others denounced the state assemblyperson as a “anak haram” (illegitimate child) and an “idiot”.

Whereas another banner read: “Jangan biarkan celaka bertukar menjadi malapetaka” (Don’t let the celaka insult turn into a catastrophe).

The Umno Youth members had also attempted to tear down the DAP headquarters billboard, which featured the party’s Rocket logo but were stopped by the police and staff.

However, one of the protesters later managed to pull it down.

After negotiating with the police, the protesters were allowed to send several representatives, including Razlan, to hand over the memorandum.

They were received by Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming and DAP headquarters head of administration department Chu Yoon Ming.

However, the discussion went awry went Ong criticised the protesters for behaving like hooligans.

Infuriated, Razlan tore the memorandum and threw it at the DAP MP. He then stormed out of the compound.

When it started to rain, the protesters gathered under the overpass next to the DAP headquarters and left went the rain subsided.

Prior to that, they thanked the police for their cooperation. No arrests were made.

Ong: Khairy must apologise

Speaking to the press, Razlan said the memorandum was to warn DAP against humiliating other races again.

“DAP Indian reps criticise Umno Malays, DAP Chinese reps criticise MIC Indians. That is not the way.

“In Malaysia, we need to protect harmony as we are a plural society,” he added.

He said that their action would fuel the spirit of other state Umno Youth chapters to follow suit and was confident that other Malays would rise up as well.

Contacted later, Ong said he supported the right for the group to hold a demonstration in front of the DAP headquarters, but criticised their behaviour.

“I call upon Khairy to apologise,” the DAP MP said.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 22 May 2014, 7:07 pm and is filed under
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Let’s do away with sexism and build a respectful nation

By
Dr Sharifah Halimah Jaafar
 | TMI

MAY 21, 2014

The blatant act of disrespect on women and sexist messages by various groups to demean them during the Teluk Intan by-election campaign are unacceptable in a society which aims to become a developed nation.

The hoots and wolf whistles that drown out Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, the DAP’s Teluk Intan candidate, by the predominantly male crowd at the nomination centre a few days ago for the gift of her physical appearance, are very regrettable. Our society at large is still unable to recognise and respect women for their calibre, strength and capability, to become leaders just as men.

It is also shameful that certain parties tried to humiliate Dyana by spreading the photos of a bikini-clad actress resembling her on the internet, purportedly portray her as a “bad” Muslim.

No doubt Dyana Sofya is young and beautiful, but what stands out about her is her intelligence, professionalism, confidence, courage, determination and passion to fight what she believes is right, despite the odds and the storms that come her way.

In a nutshell, this young lady has all the essence of a good leader with integrity and commitment for the rakyat, but it is a pity that narrow minded men see her as a sex object.

Even more disappointing than the hoots and the woots is  Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the former minister for Women and Family and Community Development, who should have upheld the government’s commitment to gender equality by promoting women in decision-making positions and reject sexism. Instead of welcoming Dyana Sofya, Shahrizat dismissed her as a mere puppet and cosmetics to DAP, suggesting she is young and pretty and so doesn’t have a mind of her own.

It is regrettable that the special advisor to the prime minister on women affairs fails to respect the right of a young woman to choose her political path.

Although Dyana represents an opposition party, it would be meaningful and welcoming if Shahrizat, being a senior woman leader, show her the way of healthy politics by taking on her on women’s agenda, or how being an opposition MP can help her play a role to bring progress to women in Malaysia.

The government has emphasised that the empowerment of women and the improvement of their social, economic and political status is vital for sustainable development, and can propel Malaysia to become a developed nation.

Sexism is a major hindrance towards achieving equal gender participation in building the developed nation.

Thus, to realise the mission for a developed nation, we must take a conscious effort to condemn and eliminate all forms of oppression, in particular the culture and attitude of sexism and misogynistic view towards women by all sectors of society.

Only then the culture of respect will grow in our nation and we will reap the fruits of a healthy nation.

* Dr Sharifah Halimah Jaafar is consultant on women’s health at KPJ Ipoh Specialist Hospital, Ipoh.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 22 May 2014, 10:34 am and is filed under
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Why Malays have joined DAP (and Pakatan)

By
SYERLEENA RASHID
 | Malaysiakini

May 22, 2014

There are a lot of speculations roaming around as to why DAP decided to field “newcomer” Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud as a candidate in Teluk Intan. To most she is seen as a protege, while those who are still unable to fathom her decision to join DAP have begun their personal campaign to destroy her image and credibility.

As a matter of fact, any Malay candidate would have been subjected to certain levels of political animosity and slander. In the past, other Malay candidates had gone through the same maltreatment and been imperiled by vicious threats made by the ultra-right wing hate groups.

Being relatively young (compared to the average age of our Members of Parliament) and beautiful (though beauty is subjective) makes her an easy target, but the naysayers have underestimated this intelligent lass; Dyana Sofya is the face of hope and will bring forth much-needed change to this country.

Of course, at this stage, Malaysians are aware of how vicious the powers-that-be can be when they have an agenda to accomplish, and these past few weeks leading up to her nomination, they have proven to us again, just how uncouth they are capable of being.

For decades, DAP has been labelled a ‘Chinese party’ and accused of being chauvinists. It is undeniable that Malaysians of Chinese descent make up the majority of party members but that is merely coincidental as a direct result of Umno’s Malay-centric policies. Some might even say that years of disseminating misinformation via government-controlled media influenced our political views and distorted our logic.

However, the truth is in the name and there is a reason why DAP stands for Democratic Action Party. When Umno Baru and their supporters spew bigoted slogans, it only confirms their utter oblivion towards their own homogenous brand of race based party and racially biased policies, which have been etched by their very own party names (Umno Baru, MCA and MIC).

The local political scene, before alternative media was available to average Malaysians like you and me, was far simpler. It was “us vs them” and this tactic worked for a while for Umno Baru, but like everything else that lacks maintenance and care or in this case, when a party has become too complacent; slowly but surely, cracks will begin to appear.

Many of us see flaws in the system, we know how policies and funds were misused, we know of the business opportunities that lay ahead of us if we pledge our loyalty to them. We see things in a different way now and we want to progress as a nation – together. We are tired of being segregated because of our race and religion. We do not need to be told whom we are allowed to befriend and support.

We are worn-out by the lies; our education system is deteriorating and the economy is not doing so well. The powers-that-be seem out of touch with the harsh realities Malaysians have to deal with every single day.

They justify the need for the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the recent increase in electricity tariffs but these are fabrications that the powers that be churn out haphazardly, hence, the never-ending flip-flop in published statements and remarks.

Powers-that-be have lost the plot

However, the concerns of the minorities and the marginalised are different as most of them have become victims of developmental promises gone awry. This is one of the many issues that must be given priority. Unfortunately, the powers-that-be have lost the plot. They are too busy enriching their own lives and living comfortably in their politically incestuous circle.

When Malaysians of Malay Muslim descent join DAP, we are harshly marked as apostates, traitors and unappreciative of the privileges the constitution has guaranteed us. The truth could not be further and questioning our loyalty is unreasonable.

The constitution does not favour any political party but favours the rights of all Malaysians. Our system does not demand Malaysians to blindly accept any specific political doctrines, nor does it require us to brand each other as ingrates. We must be made to understand that loyalty is not conformity and true loyalty does not command the destruction or blocking another person’s loyalty.

Loyalty is a faithful adherence which involves a bond between people or allegiance to a cause or principle. It is not a mere sentiment or opinion but understand that loyalty is by no means a mechanical obedience. Malaysians are permitted to adhere freely and firmly to what he or she values as respectable and genuine, not to what is imposed or forced upon.

We have become too indoctrinated with political loyalties that we have forgotten human fidelity and this is the message we want to get across. The conflicts sandwiched between religious loyalty and political loyalty have been too frequently dramatised and over sensationalized by the powers-that-be.

Many of us join DAP (and Pakatan Rakyat) because we see the opportunity to contribute to the development and progression of our great nation. The platform to which our voices can be heard and opinions can be shared is far better than the one Umno Baru may provide. The former is now seen as a catalyst for change and are willing to listen. The latter has become too synonymous with the distressing culture of corruption and has stopped listening to Malaysians some time ago.

We know that the powers-that-be will shower marginalised communities with one-off payments and boast about how they care for the wellbeing of these communities but that does not warrant sustainable development.

I am a firm believer of the saying, “Give a man a fish, he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime.” This approach to development and progress will have greater impact in empowering fellow Malaysians and that will be the key factor that can see through our country’s transformation to a developed nation.

And this will not require us to cheat and steal RM250million from those who rightfully need it.

Yes, most of come from families who have supported Umno one way or another, some of us come from families that still do, but we also know of the heartaches Malaysian families have gone through because they were not well connected enough to get into public universities or obtain much needed financial aids and these issues are enough to make us speak out against the oppression and discrimination our fellow Malaysians are subjected to.

Fact is, many of us see renewed hope, optimism and confidence in people like Dyana Sofya, Senator Ariffin Omar, Zairil Khir Johari and Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz. This is something many of us find extremely inspiring. However, on a lighter note, for the aforementioned politicians and other DAP members of Malay Muslim descent, this coming Raya family gathering will definitely be very interesting and “lively”.

** SYERLEENA RASHID is a member of DAP and currently serves as the Bukit Bendera DAP Wanita political education director.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 22 May 2014, 12:46 pm and is filed under
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Dyana says she’d rather be called a traitor than be involved in dirty politics

by Hasbullah Awang Chik

The Malaysian Insider

May 23, 2014

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

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

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

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

“After that he calls us traitors. Wow, that’s rich.”

Dyana shrugged off Dr Mahathir’s comments.

“We just listen, it is not necessary for us to accept it. They have a right to their opinion,” she told a group of 30 while campaigning in Taman Melor, Teluk Intan, last night.

During a function in Malacca in March 2012, Dr Mahathir said Umno faced a leadership void, especially at the grassroots level.

Bernama quoted Dr Mahathir that the branch and division levels of the party were blocking the entry of professionals into the party.

“For decades, Umno has not allowed professionals to enter the party, resulting in many doctors joining PAS.

“This will prove to be the undoing of Umno when they are looking for winnable candidates during general elections.”

Armed with banners, some 50 Federal Territory (FT) Umno Youth members yesterday protested in front of the DAP headquarters in Jalan Yew in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon before handing over a memorandum to party strategist Dr Ong Kian Ming. – Pic courtesy of Ong Kian Ming, May 22, 2014.Armed with banners, some 50 Federal Territory (FT) Umno Youth members yesterday protested in front of the DAP headquarters in Jalan Yew in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon before handing over a memorandum to party strategist Dr Ong Kian Ming. – Pic courtesy of Ong Kian Ming, May 22, 2014.Dyana also hit out at the action of the Federal Territory (FT) Umno Youth members who staged a protest at the DAP headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

“Based on such acts, voters in Teluk Intan should look for an alternative party to BN.

“Before handing the memorandum to Serdang MP Dr Ong Kian Ming, they threw it to his face.

“What sort of behaviour is this? They want to hand over a memorandum but tore it up instead. Who knows what was in it?”

Instead, Dyana said, DAP had to collect the pieces and paste them back together to see what they wrote.

“How do BN and Umno behave? We do not understand.”

Yesterday, armed with banners, some 50 FT Umno Youth members protested in front of the DAP headquarters in Jalan Yew in Kuala Lumpur.

They later handed over a memorandum to Ong, who is also the party’s strategist.

They came to denounce DAP Penang’s Seri Delima assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer, who had uttered the words “Umno celaka” against the Malay party in the Penang assembly sitting.

His use of the term sparked massive protests in Penang where a group of Umno Youth members barged into the legislative assembly building and disrupted the sitting for the first time in history. – May 23, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 23 May 2014, 1:53 pm and is filed under
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Call on Bukit Gelugor voters tomorrow and Teluk Intan voters next Saturday to punish the political hooligans and cast every available vote to defend democracy and reject mobocracy advocated by political hooligans in UMNO who stormed the Penang State Assembly, the DAP Hqrs in KL and DAP Kuantan branch yesterday

(Media Statement in Penang on Saturday, May 24, 2014)

The voters of Bukit Gelugor tomorrow and the voters of Teluk Intan next Saturday should cast every available vote to defend democracy and reject in unmistakable and unequivocal terms the mobocracy advocated by political hooligans in UMNO who stormed the Penang State Assembly, the DAP Hqrs in Kuala Lumpur and the DAP Kuantan branch yesterday.

The various incidents of political hooliganism in the past few days, on the back of the rise racial and religious extremism in the past year since the 13GE last May, with unchecked increase in the volume and intensity of hate-speech and growing intolerance of a moderate approach and a plural society must be stopped immediately and powerfully before they destroy the very fabric of Malaysia’s multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-lingual and multi-cultural nation.

What all right-thinking Malaysians, whether in Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat, whether in government, private sector or civil society, must unite and deplore in the strongest terms is the rise of political hooliganism and breakdown of civility in the political arena.

Clearly, Barisan Nasional leaders have lost the art of the founding generation of of Umno, MCA and MIC leaders like Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein, Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Tun Tan Siew Sin and Tun V.T. Sambanthan “to agree to disagree agreeably” – practise “gentleman politics” without resort to lies, falsehood and calumny or the most corruptive influence of the politics of money.

What is most deplorable is that there is official encouragement and even patronage of such political hooliganism, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassim has emerged as one of the patrons of political hooliganism when he said that it was “natural reaction” by UMNO Youth members to storm the DAP Hqrs in Kuala Lumpur when their party had been challenged.

Muhyiddin would be the first to demand that police take the strongest action against anyone from the DAP, PKR or PAS who stormed the UMNO Headquarters at PWTC in the way the UMNO Youth hooligans threatened to burn the DAP Hqrs, but he showed his hypocrisy and chicanery when he exonerated the UMNO Youth political hooliganism by saying it was “natural reaction” – thus providing the latest and worst example of double standards and double mindset of government leaders occupying important offices like the Deputy Prime Minister and senior Cabinet Ministers.

Muhyuddin first disgraced himself when he repudiated Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia Policy where every Malaysian should regard himself or herself as Malaysian first and race, religion or region as second, declaring openly that he is “Malay first, Malaysian second”.

Now he has again dishonoured the office of Deputy Prime Minister by blessing the political hooliganism of UMNO Youth leaders who stormed the Penang State Assembly, DAP Hqrs and DAP Kuantan Branch as “natural reaction” when he should be in the forefront to denounce such completely unacceptable misconduct in a Malaysian democratic society.

As the Deputy Prime Minister has condoned blatant political hooliganism of UMNO Youth members, I call on the voters of Bukit Gelugor tomorrow and the voters of Teluk Intan next Saturday to vote solidly to deplore and demand the punishment of the UMNO Youth hooligans who stormed the Penang State Assembly, the DAP Hqrs in KL and the DAP Kuantan branch.

If the Deputy Prime Minister of the country is so cowardly as not daring to be in the forefront to denounce such political hooliganism and to demand that the strongest action should be taken by the police and the Attorney-General’s Chambers, then let the voters of Bukit Gelugor and Teluk Intan speak loud and clear in the two by-elections in May on behalf of the 30 million Malaysians that they want to protect and defend democracy and reject the mobocracy advocated by the political hooliganism advocated by UMNO Youth political hooligans, who have found a patron in the Deputy Prime Minister.

The voters of Bukit Gelugor and Teluk Intan have a special task in these two by-elections, to punish the UMNO Youth political hooligans and to teach a lesson to everyone in Barisan Nasional that Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans or Ibans, will have no truck with the political hooligans in UMNO and UMNO Youth, and those who condone or even worse, give blessing to their acts of political hooliganism by words and acts of patronage, must be severely censured!

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 24 May 2014, 4:41 pm and is filed under
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Can the Dyana phenomenon last?

Josh Hong

Malaysiakini

May 23, 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Meanwhile, the ruckus at DAP headquarters yesterday and the rampage at the Penang state assembly the day before could have received tacit support from the anti-Khairy factions within Umno Youth. Lest we forget, all those who ‘aspire’ to move up the ladders in Umno must first establish their ‘radical potentials’. Remember Khairy’s keris-wielding past?

 In short, DAP has once again proven to be willing to push the envelope by giving Dyana a chance, whereas Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, the Selangor Menteri Besar, in dismissing the objection to the proposed Kidex Skyway as “extreme” has made his government look more like Umno’s. Malaysian politics is full of surprises and ironies indeed!

 The excitementsand heated exchange between Umno and DAP since Dyana’s candidacy was announced have been very interesting. Still, I don’t think an analogy between her and Marina Mahathir is appropriate in this context.

 For me, Dyana does not resemble Marina very much as she does not come from a privileged background as the latter. While Marina has been so pampered and protected by her all-powerful father, Dyana received humble education at UiTM and went on to work humbly as a political secretary to Lim Kit Siang.

 Most important of all, Dyana’s two brothers did not become filthy rich on their father’s watch as Mirzan Mahathir, Mokhzani Mahathir and Mukhriz Mahathir did, and we do not yet know if Dyana would be conspicuous by her silence as Marina is over her siblings’ immense wealth!

Not everything in the garden is rosy

 But not everything in the garden is rosy. DAP must walk carefully between seeking to expand its electoral appeal and ensuring that its traditional constituency remains intact. There are already disgruntled voices over the selection of Dyana, with some seeing her win as one less Chinese lawmaker in Parliament, a concern that DAP cannot simply brush aside.

 However, to address their anxiety is not to appease an attitude as such. If Chinese Malaysians truly desire political change in this country, they first must rid themselves of the communal mindset. Having a Chinese representative does not necessary guarantee loyalty, and it is worth reminding that Hee Yit Foong had been a DAP member for more than 20 years, but it did not prevent her from crossing over to the other side of the Perak state assembly back in 2009.

 What about Luyang assemblyperson Hiew King Cheu who has quit DAP and is now ready to join BN in Sabah?

 Prior to GE13, fielding non-Chinese – Malays especially – by DAP was lauded as ushering in a new era because many a die-hard Rocketeer believed democratic transition was at hand, and their utter disappointment thereafter is beyond what words can say.

 Still, the heavy setback must not be allowed to turn back the clock and reverse the achievements that DAP has made so far by re-embracing the discredited idea of kinship-based loyalty. Malaysians should press their politicians to talk more about the economy, public transport and security, employment, cultural innovation, rights of the sexual minorities, education and many more, rather than just race and religion.

 Hence, DAP must do its utmost to make use of the opportunity to carve out a broader role and create a new discourse for the sake of its future, rather than falling back on the old rhetoric of race and communal interests in the event that Dyana fails to make it to Parliament.

 If DAP remains committed to the democratic process – seriously flawed it may be – it is vitally crucial that the paradigm set by Dyana’s candidacy be carried on into the electoral contests in the years ahead.

 I am not so much interested in Dyana’s victory as in the implications for DAP (and for Pakatan Rakyat as a whole) should she lose. If DAP can withstand the virulent attack by Umno this time and keep the momentum for the future, there will be more Malaysians who want to be like Dyana – or even surpass her. That would be a true blessing indeed.

 JOSH HONG studied politics at London Metropolitan University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. A keen watcher of domestic and international politics, he longs for a day when Malaysians will learn and master the art of self-mockery, and enjoy life to the full in spite of politicians.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 24 May 2014, 12:30 am and is filed under
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Dyana Sofya, dimensi politik baharu

 – Shamiel Fikri Ishak

The Malaysian Insider

May 23, 2014

Jika cinta digambarkan sebagai buta. Tidak memandang pada nama, warna, dan darjat. Demikian dimensi baru yang digambarkan oleh politik Malaysia.

Sejak nama Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud muncul sebagai salah satu watak dalam parti politik DAP, dan negara Malaysia amnya, politik baru yang tergambar adalah politik yang buta.

Buta pada perbezaan, buta pada darjat, buta pada penilaian bangsa, buta daripada sikap perkauman. Maka buta sebegini lebih mulia daripada celik. Celik yang menilai kemuliaan dengan bangsa, celik menilai parti dengan sikap perkauman, celik yang memandang pada perbezaan dan kelemahan.

Kata seorang penulis dan tokoh pemikir Amerika, Mark Twain:”Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

Ya, kebaikan mampu didengari oleh orang yang pekak, hatta bisa dilihat oleh seorang manusia yang buta.

Watak Dyana Sofya yang muncul dalam parti DAP menggambarkan satu dimensi politik baru. DAP yang terkenal dengan parti rakyat berbangsa Cina rupanya tidak pandang pada bangsa. Manakala calon BN yang bertanding di Teluk Intan bersamanya, Datuk Mah Siew Keong sendiri inginkan politik dan persaingan yang matang.

Meski katanya dalam gurauan mesra pada wartawan “Dyana lebih cantik daripada beliau”, beliau inginkan perlumbaan sihat yang ditentukan sepenuhnya oleh rakyat. Malah penerimaan ibu kepada Dyana Sofya, Yammy Samat yang merupakan ahli veteran Umno menggambarkan, dia tidak pandang anaknya pada parti.

Inilah dimensi politik baru yang perlu dipupuk. Politik yang tidak dipandang dengan sifat perkauman. Politik yang buta dengan penilaian taksub kepartian.

Politik yang terbuka sebegini melontarkan pelbagai persoalan kepada kita. Apa guna kita celik kalau sekadar mampu bezakan cina dan melayu? Apa guna kita celik andai hanya mampu melihat manusia sempit dengan parti? Apa guna kita celik kalau kita sekadar pandai bezakan pemimpin dengan usia tua dan muda semata-mata? Bahkan apa guna kita celik, kalau kita pandang kecantikan politik hanya dengan pandangan politik wajah?

Hebatnya corak politik dimensi baru ini. Politik ini tidak taksub. Politik yang buta dan tidak peduli dengan penilaian perkauman, sentimen senioriti dan taksub kepartian.

Hebatnya pandangan ibu Dyana Sofya, yang melihat anaknya sebagai keluarga, lebih daripada musuh politik. Inilah pemikiran yang seluruh rakyat perlu ada bukan sekadar sesama keluarga dan keturunan. Bahkan seluruh rakyat, tidak mengira parti dan fahaman politik. Bukankah kita adalah satu keluarga.

Politik hari ini perlu bebas daripada agenda perkauman. Bebas sentimen tua dan muda. Bebas jurang golongan politikus elit dan golongan bawahan.

Allah berfirman:”Dan Nabi mereka pula berkata kepada mereka:”Bahawasanya Allah melantik Tholut menjadi raja bagi kamu. Mereka menjawab: “Bagaimana dia mendapat kuasa memerintah kami, sedang Kami lebih berhak dengan kuasa pemerintahan itu daripadanya, dan ia pula tidak diberi keluasan harta kekayaan?” Nabi mereka berkata:” Sesungguhnya Allah memilihnya (Tholut) menjadi pemerintah kamu, dan mengurniakannya kelebihan dalam lapangan ilmu pengetahuan dan kegagahan tubuh badan”. Dan (ingatlah), Allah jualah Yang memberikan kuasa pemerintahan kepada sesiapa yang dikehendakiNya; dan Allah Maha Luas (RahmatNya dan PengurniaanNya), lagi meliputi ilmuNya.” (al-Baqarah 247).

Dalam sejarah Islam yang dinyatakan dalam Al-Quran, Allah pernah melantik seorang pemimpin yang tidak disangka-sangka oleh manusia lain. Allah melantik Tholut, seorang petani biasa untuk memimpin kaumnya. Sedangkan ramai orang lain yang punyai harta yang banyak, dan datang daripada keturunan yang disegani.

Daripada kisah pemilihan Tholut sebagai pemimpin, Islam juga mengajar manusia untuk menghindari politik perkauman, politik taksub senioriti dan politik wang.

Demikianlah falsafah cinta si buta. Cinta yang tidak memandang manusia dengan kaum. Cinta yang buta menilai tua dan muda. Cinta yang tidak sekadar menilai harga dengan harta dan wang.

Bukankah politik itu juga cinta. Cinta rakyat untuk memilih pemimpin. Cinta pemimpin untuk mengubah negara. – 23 Mei, 2014

* Penulis ialah Pelajar Undang-Undang dan Syariah, UIAM.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 24 May 2014, 6:49 am and is filed under
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Fearful of losing Teluk Intan Malays, Umno works to counter Dyana’s charm (VIDEO)

by Boo Su-Lyn

The Malay Mail Online

May 24, 2014

TELUK INTAN, May 24 ― Fear of ceding even a little of its Malay support to DAP’s Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud has pushed Umno to work feverishly on convincing the community ― often deemed a secure Barisan Nasional (BN) vote bank – that the young Malay woman’s physical appeal is not what Teluk Intan needs.

The Chinese-majority federal seat has just under 22,000 Malay voters, or 38 per cent of the electorate, but losing Malay votes to the Chinese-dominated DAP could prove an embarrassing defeat for the ruling party that has now poured much of its resources into the historic Perak township.

Changkat Jong assemblyman Datuk Mohd Azhar Jamaluddin, who also heads the Teluk Intan Umno division, said the party machinery has been working till 3am for the past few days in the Malay-majority Changkat Jong state seat.

“I don’t deny that the youth or the Malays may be influenced by the DAP candidate,” Azhar told The Malay Mail Online in an interview at his service centre here.

“Young people are inconsistent. Sometimes, they’re interested in attractive candidates, at other times, responsible candidates. So we must tell them that if they choose wrongly, they’ll suffer because it’ll be very difficult to get development and job opportunities,” he added.

At 38 per cent, the Malays of Teluk Intan are considered a sizeable vote bank behind the Chinese, who form 42 per cent of the 60,349-strong electorate. The Indians make up 19 per cent.

During the May 5 general election last year, the DAP’s Seah Leong Peng snapped up just 25 per cent of the Malay votes, despite scoring an overall win over BN’s Datuk Mah Siew Keong with an over 7,000 vote majority.

Fielding Dyana Sofya instead of a Chinese candidate for the contest this time appeared to be the DAP’s bid to boost its multi-racial credentials, and a strategy that could very well see the party dip into BN’s Malay vote bank.

Changkat Jong is one such place. The largely rural seat, which is one of the two state seats in the semi-urban Teluk Intan constituency, comprises 62 per cent Malay voters.

The other state seat is Pasir Bedamar, which is largely urban and comprises 69 per cent Chinese voters. DAP’s Terence Naidu V. Raja is the assemblyman here.

Some Malay-majority villages like Kampung Baru Ayer Hitam ― which is located some 25km from town, past stretches of oil palm plantations ― are Umno strongholds.

There, many voters met by The Malay Mail Online said they were not swayed by Dyana Sofya’s ethnicity, her youth or good looks.

They said Mah, who is again BN’s candidate for Teluk Intan, is the better choice due to the 53-year-old’s previous experience as Teluk Intan MP for two terms.

In comparison, they said Dyana Sofya, a 26-year-old law graduate, is inexperienced. They pointed out that she hails from Ipoh, not Teluk Intan, unlike Mah.

“Of course we should give young people opportunities, but she still doesn’t have experience,” housewife Nor Farahida Kamaruddin, 22, told The Malay Mail Online at Kampung Baru Ayer Hitam.

But some in other Malay-majority villages like Kampung Bahagia ― where about 36 per cent of voters supported Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in Election 2013, according to research firm Politweet ― spoke favourably of Dyana Sofya.

“She’s a young person, so she’ll have fresh ideas. Besides, she won’t die so soon. Mah Siew Keong is already quite old,” a 43-year-old Malay businessman, who only wanted to be known as Mr Lan, told The Malay Mail Online.

The sway in sentiment is enough to worry BN, and Umno in particular, as the party tasked to ensure the Malay votes stay with the ruling pact.

Roselina Osman, who is part of Wanita Umno’s campaign team in Kampung Bahagia, said Wanita Umno will conduct house visits and hold small group sessions with about 30 people, while the Umno men would organise ceramahs till midnight for bigger crowds of about 100 at night.

“We’re afraid that young Malays may be influenced by Dyana, who’s considered one of them. Plus, she’s pretty too,” Roselina told The Malay Mail Online at Umno’s operations room at Kampung Bahagia, a small shack at the side of the road.

She noted that in the May 5 general election last year, BN had lost the youth polling stream at the Kampung Bahagia polling district.

Campaigning to wrest the Malay votes for the DAP is the party’s PR partner PAS. Speaking to The Malay Mail Online in Changkat Jong, PAS campaign deputy director (operations) Salman Saleh said there has been some positive feedback and excitement shown by the Malay voters towards Dyana Sofya.

“Yesterday, I followed the candidate to a housing area. Those at the pasar malam were excited to see her. They took selfies with her,” Salman told The Malay Mail Online in an interview at PAS’ operation centre in Kampung Padang Tembak.

“The Malays seem to like her, except for the hardcore Umno supporters. Of course we don’t play up her ethnicity, but we cannot deny that it’s an extra factor in our favour,” he added.

Salman said Umno’s personal attacks against Dyana Sofya showed that the Malay ruling party feel pressured by her candidacy.

“They talk about her not wearing a headscarf, her speeches, the hudud issue, calling her a traitor, and those fake pictures of her on the internet. Umno is trying to pull back the Malay votes that are leaving them,” he said.

The PAS man admitted that tackling the hudud issue was difficult for the Islamist party, but said they focused on how Gerakan was more antagonistic than the DAP in the Islamic penal code controversy.

“Gerakan had threatened legal action to stop PAS from tabling the hudud bills,” Salman said.

Next Saturday, Dyana and Mah will engage in a straight fight for the Teluk Intan federal seat, which was abruptly vacated after the unexpected demise of DAP’s Seah on May 1.

Mah had won the Teluk Intan seat in 1999 and 2004, but lost it to DAP’s M. Manogaran and Seah in 2008 and 2013 by 1,470 votes and 7,313 votes respectively.

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In Teluk Intan, everyone wants a piece of DAP’s Dyana (VIDEO)

by Boo Su-Lyn

The Malay Mail Online

May 24, 2014

TELUK INTAN, May 24 ― While paparazzi had hounded Princess Diana to death, DAP’s Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud has been tailed by voters in Teluk Intan clamouring to take photographs with her instead.

At walkabouts in night markets at Taman Manik and Taman Desa Bakti in Changkat Jong yesterday, the 26-year-old candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election was stopped almost every few minutes by people of all ages and races wanting to take pictures and selfies with her.

“She’s awesome! She’s beautiful! She’s good!” Syuhada Wandi, a 24-year-old clerk, gushed to The Malay Mail Online at the Taman Desa Bakti night market after posing with Dyana Sofya for a picture.

Dyana Sofya with her rosy apple cheeks and long black hair, was accompanied by DAP members who handed out posters detailing her past experience as a law graduate from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and political secretary to DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, as well as her political philosophy.

DAP campaign workers also gave out round stickers bearing various images of Dyana Sofya, such as one of her in a party uniform, hair uncovered, and another of her donning a purple selendang and baju kurung.

Many people at both night markets, which were patronised mostly by Malays, could be seen wearing the stickers on their shirts.

After taking a photograph with Dyana Sofya, machine operator Gurmit Kaur told The Malay Mail Online that the DAP candidate was a talented young woman.

“We like her,” Gurmit told The Malay Mail Online.

Although Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders initially played up Dyana Sofya’s looks last weekend, they have been extolling her intelligence and stand for justice and equality of late.

At a ceramah at Taman Desa Aman last night, PAS’ Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad called Dyana Sofya a “young” and “bright” person, and omitted references to her physical appearance.

The ceramah attended by about 100 people ― mostly Indian and Malay men ― was held just outside a petrol station. There was a tent housing the speakers several feet away from the kerb at the petrol station where some people sat, while others sat on their motorcycles or stood.

When Dyana Sofya arrived, wearing a white selendang, several men went forward to take photos of her with their smartphones.

DAP’s candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud speaks during a night ceramah in Teluk Intan, Perak, May 23, 2014. ― Picture by Yusof Mat IsaDAP’s candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud speaks during a night ceramah in Teluk Intan, Perak, May 23, 2014. ― Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

Speaking without a piece of paper in hand, Dyana Sofya talked about her political struggle and how Teluk Intan residents had assisted her when she was heckled recently.

“These gangsters tried to close our roads, but the residents opened them so that we could meet with the other residents. That’s what I love about Teluk Intan,” she said, drawing cheers.

After her speech, a crowd of men closed in on Dyana Sofya in the tent, prompting a loud voice telling  them to back off and to give her space.

Amid the melee, Dyana Sofya took a picture with two young women.

Tony Pua, DAP’s Teluk Intan campaign director, said that 10 people are now guarding Dyana Sofya on her campaign trail.

“We have tripled her security and minders over the past weeks purely out of concern for the enthusiasm that voters have shown,” Pua told The Malay Mail Online.

“We usually are quite nonchalant about security as we like to move freely with the crowd, but unfortunately, the attention, wanted and unwanted, is a little too overwhelming,” he added.

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

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 24 May 2014, 12:30 pm and is filed under
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MH370: An avoidable tragedy

by TOMMY THOMAS

KiniBiz

May 9, 2014

MH370 AzlanLike billions of people across the globe and millions of Malaysians, I have been following with deep interest the saga of flight MH370 from the morning of Saturday, 8th March when it vanished into thin air. The public relations disaster that ensued, with different authorities contradicting each other and positions shifting daily has embarrassed the nation and MAS beyond repair, at least in the short term. Unfortunately, the release of a Preliminary Report by the Chief Inspector of Air Accidents, Ministry of Transport does not provide any comfort in ascertaining the full truth and restoring credibility.

THE PRELIMINARY REPORT

Although the Preliminary Report is dated 9th April, it was only released into the public domain on 1st May, some 8 weeks after the plane’s disappearance. The Preliminary Report runs to just 5 pages while the “Actions Taken” Sheet is all of 2 pages. The other supporting documents are also not lengthy. Hence, my first observation is why did it take the authorities one month to draft these scanty, sketchy documents characterized by major omissions, and for them to remain confidential for another 3 weeks. Having regard to the paucity of information given in the Preliminary Report, there is no objective reason why they could not have been released to the world within 2 or 3 days of 8th March. The Report does not even name the pilot and co-pilot and does not state that the 227 passengers come from 14 nations.

It is also important to scotch the heresy expressed by the IGP that his department’s investigations must remain confidential. Any duty to investigate must be balanced by an overriding duty to disclose promptly and accurately all information to the public, and particularly to family members of passengers and crew. Further, the IGP must be reminded that all criminal prosecutions in Malaysia are conducted before a professional, full-time judiciary and not before juries. It is insulting our judges to suggest that they will be influenced by anything they had read in the media when they preside over a trial many months or indeed years after the event.

I propose to analyse the Preliminary Report and the “Actions Taken” Sheet, and shall assume the contents to be truthful. Truth is vital for many reasons. First, because it is right and there are no other options. Secondly, the grieving families of crew and passengers deserve it. Thirdly, the 26 foreign governments assisting in the search rely on the information disseminated by Malaysia and arrange their affairs accordingly. Fourthly, the wider public. It must be kept in mind that MAS is not a domestic airline only carrying Malaysian passengers. On the contrary, MAS flies to all the continents (or used to) and gladly accepts passengers from everywhere. As an international airline, MAS has international responsibilities and must conform to international standards of openness, transparency and accountability. Finally, criminal and civil proceedings are foreseeable, and truthful evidence must be collected and marshalled for use in such legal proceedings. The integrity of the investigation and its findings must never be compromised.

Based on the materials released on 1st May, I have prepared a Chronology of Events occurring in the early hours of 8th March, which is attached as Appendix A.

MH370 TURNING BACK

The Press Statement by Hishammuddin Hussein, the Acting Transport Minister, issued on 1st May when releasing the Preliminary Report stated:-

“The military’s tracking of MH370

As stated previously, Malaysian military radar did track an aircraft making a turn-back, in a westerly direction, across peninsular Malaysia on the morning of 8 March. The aircraft was categorised as friendly by the radar operator and therefore no further action was taken at the time.

The radar data was reviewed in a playback at approximately 08:30 on 8 March. This information was sent to the Air Force operations room at approximately 09:00. Following further discussion up the chain of command, the military informed the Acting Transport and Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein at approximately 10:30 of the possible turn-back of the aircraft.

The Minister then informed the Prime Minister, who immediately ordered that search and rescue operations be initiated in the Straits of Malacca, along with the South China Sea operations which started earlier in the day.”

(my emphasis)

CARGO ON BOARD

The cargo manifest released on 1st May indicate that the following goods were on board MH370:-

(i) Lithium Batteries – 2,453 kg (5,407 lbs);

(ii) Mangosteen – 4,566 kg (10,066 lbs);

(iii) Unidentified cargo – 2,934 kg (6,468 lbs).

QUESTIONS THAT CRY OUT FOR ANSWERS

Despite taking 8 weeks to prepare the Preliminary Report a reader will come away with the firm conviction that it has failed to address fundamental questions, such as :-

Why did not the KL Air Traffic Control upon discovering that the radar signal for MH370 had disappeared at 1:21:13, and certainly when Ho Chi Minh Air Traffic Control informed it at 1:38:19 that MH370 had not entered Vietnamese airspace immediately alert the Air Force, Military, Police and MAS that something was amiss with MH370?

When and where did MH370 execute the turn-back?

For how long after it executed the turn-back was MH370 in Malaysian airspace, both as a matter of time and also distance?

Is it true that MH370 dropped its altitude from 35,000 ft to 5,000 ft when flying over parts of Peninsular Malaysia?

Is it true that the co-pilot tried to establish contact through his mobile telephone while MH370 was flying low over Penang, and, if so, was he successful, and who was he trying to contact?

What is the basis of the determination by the radio operator on duty in the early hours of 8th March that the unidentified aircraft which he spotted on the army radar was “friendly”?

Even after deciding that it was a “friendly” airplane flying across Peninsular Malaysia, why did the authorities still do nothing?

Why did not the authorities determine that this “friendly” airplane was in fact MH370?

Why did the Air Force not scramble its jet-fighters to intercept and force MH370 to land?

If, as the Acting Transport Minister stated in his Press Statement of 1st May that he was informed by the military at approximately 10.30 a.m. on the morning of 8th March, and he then informed the Prime Minister that MH370 had possibly turned back, why was the entire world not told of this critical fact straight-away?

Instead, why was the first week following the plane’s disappearance wasted searching the wrong place, viz, off the coast of South Vietnam in the South China Sea?

Assuming MH370 had changed its flight plan from the original route to Beijing to somewhere in the west off the waters of Sumatra, what is the basis of determining that it went south in the direction of Australia, rather than north in the direction of the Indian sub-continent?

What facts did the Prime Minister have at hand, apart from the opinion of Inmarsat when he announced on 24th March that MH370 “had ended” in the south Indian Ocean?

With the benefit of hindsight, was the Prime Minister’s announcement premature, rushed and unnecessary?

Is there any factual basis for the recent claim that MH370 had crashed into the waters off Bangladesh?

Why is cargo weighing some 2,934 kg (or 6,468 lbs) still not identified in the cargo manifest released to the public on 1st May, and what is it?

Why did MAS allow lithium batteries totaling 2,453 kg (or 5,407 lbs) to be carried in a passenger aircraft (as opposed to a cargo plane), particularly when the Air Waybill itself expressly states that “flammability hazards exist if the package is damaged”?

COULD THE TRAGEDY HAVE BEEN PREVENTED?

Common sense will indicate that the first few hours after 1:21:13 provided the only window of time when MH370 could have been saved from hijack by passengers or nefarious action by the pilots or some other cause. Because the plane flew for over 6 hours after executing a turn-back, mechanical failure or a sudden explosion can be ruled out. Rather, these actions suggest deliberate human intervention. If the authorities had responded in real time, with the sense of urgency that the circumstances demanded, could MH370 have been saved?

The world has watched with amazement what ordinary Malaysians have known for years. When something goes wrong in public affairs, the automatic response by the government is to cover up. Truth is never the objective. Saving face and avoiding blame are paramount considerations. Collective and individual responsibility of senior government leaders is non-existent. No one ever resigns.

A NBC news report quoted experts giving their opinion that the audio recordings released on 1st May were edited. Lawyers practising in Malaysia are familiar with relevant evidence which disappears or which is fabricated. One only needs to recall 2 well-known cases which had national impact : the letter purportedly signed on 1st May 1988 suspending Tun Salleh Abas as Lord President and the infamous mattress produced in the 1998 Sodomy I trial of sacked Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Is it therefore surprising that in a recent survey 74% of Malaysians thought that the government was not truthful in its handling of MH370. If a poll is held worldwide, the result I daresay will exceed 90% of distrust. Yet, as journalist William Pesek correctly observed:-

“Malaysia’s government, on the other hand, appears to be lost in its own propaganda. To the outside world, acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein performed dismally as a government spokesman : He was combative, defensive and so opaque that even China complained. Yet Hishammuddin is now seen as prime-minister material for standing up to pesky foreign journalists and their rude questions. The government seems intent on ensuring that nothing changes as a result of this tragedy.”

____________________________________________________________________

Tommy ThomasTommy Thomas is a trial lawyer of over 35 years standing.

APPENDIX A

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS FROM 12:41 A.M TO 8:19 A.M. ON SATURDAY, 8TH MARCH 2014

TIME                              EVENT

1.     12.41:00                     MH370 took off from KLIA on its scheduled flight to Beijing. On board

were 239 persons : 227 passengers and 12 crew.

2.     12:50:00                    MH370 reported to KL Air Traffic Control Centre that it was climbing to

an altitude of 35,000 ft. The plane reported at 1.01 a.m. and 1.07 a.m. that it was maintaining that height.

3.     01:19:24                     KL Air Traffic Control instructed MH370 to contact Ho Chi Minh Air

Traffic Control Centre. MH370 acknowledged with “Good night Malaysian Three Seven Zero’.

4.     01:21:04                     MH370 was observed on the radar screen at KL Air Traffic Control as it passed over waypoint, IGARI.

5.     01:21:13                     The radar label for MH370 at KL Air Traffic Control disappeared from the radar screen. This was the first indication of trouble.

6.     01:38:19                     Ho Chi Minh Air Traffic Control inquired from KL Air Traffic Control on

the whereabouts of MH370, and stated that verbal contact had not been established with MH370. Thus, the KL Air Traffic Control had actual knowledge at 1.38:19 that MH370 had not entered Vietnamese airspace. Combined with their knowledge of Fact No. 5 above that MH370 had disappeared from the radar screen of KL Air Traffic Control, alarm bells should have immediately rung at KL Air Traffic Control, and immediate urgent measures ought to have been taken within minutes to share that information with relevant authorities in order to locate MH370.

7.     01:41:21                      KL Air Traffic Control informed Ho Chi Minh Air Traffic Control that after the IGARI waypoint, MH370 did not return to KL frequency.

8.     01:46:48                    Ho Chi Minh inquired about MH370 for the second time from KL Air Traffic Control, and also informed KL Air Traffic Control that the observed radar blip disappeared at waypoint BITOD.

9.     01:57:02                     Ho Chi Minh Air Traffic Control for the third time informed KL Air Traffic Control that there was still no contact with MH370.

10.    02:03:48                   KL Air Traffic Control informed Ho Chi Minh Air Traffic Control that MH370 was in Cambodian airspace. This information was received from Malaysia Airlines OPS. Does this not contradict Facts No. 14 and 21.

11.    02:07:00                   Ho Chi Minh Air Traffic Control sought confirmation from KL Air Control that MH370 was in Phnom Penh’s frequency.

12.    02:11:37                    Ho Chi Minh Air Traffic Control inquired for the fourth time from KL Air Traffic Control on the status on MH370.

13.    02:15:00                   In response to query by KL Air Traffic Control, Malaysian Airlines OPS stated that “MH370 was able to exchange signals with the flight and flying in Cambodian airspace”. Does this not contradict Facts No. 14 and 21.

14.    02:18:53                    Ho Chi Minh Air Traffic Control responded to a query by KL Air Traffic Control that MH370’s flight path should not take it into Cambodian airspace, and further that it (Ho Chi Minh) had checked with Cambodian authorities who advised that it had no information or contact with MH370.

15.    02:34:01                    KL Air Traffic Control enquired from MAS OPS Centre about MH370 but without success.

16.    02:35:03                    Ho Chi Minh Air Traffic Control for the fifth time inquired about the status of MH370.

17.    02:53:51                    Ho Chi Minh Air Traffic Control requested KL Air Traffic Control to establish contact with MH370 on KL radar frequency.

18.    03:30:01                    KL Air Traffic Control inquired from Ho Chi Minh Air Traffic Control whether it (the latter) had checked with next FIR Hainan.

19.    04:25:23                    KL Air Traffic Control inquired from Ho Chi Minh Air Traffic Control whether it (the latter) had received any information from Hong Kong or Beijing.

20.    05:09:18                    Singapore was asked for information on MH370.

21.    05:20:17                    When an unnamed Captain was requested for information on MH370, he opined that based on known information “MH370 never left Malaysian airspace”.

22.    05:41:21                    Ho Chi Minh Air Traffic Control for the sixth time inquired about any updates on MH370.

23.    06:14:14                    KL Air Traffic Control inquired from Ho Chi Minh Air Traffic Control if Search and Rescue (SAR) operations activated.

24.    06:30:00                    MH370 was scheduled to land in Beijing.

25.    08:19:00                    Last Satellite communication with MH370.

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No let-up but intensification of UMNO/BN campaign to break Dyana’s political will and fighting spirit with lies, falsehoods and calumnies with surfacing of Filipino actress’ bikini photo claiming to be Dyana

(Media Statement in Teluk Intan on Saturday, May 24, 2014)

On the sixth day of the Teluk Intan parliamentary by-election since Nomination Day on May 29, there has been no let-up but intensification of the UMNO/BN campaign to break DAP/Pakatan Rakyat candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud’s political will and fighting spirit with lies, falsehoods and calumnies.

BN candidate Datuk Mah Siew Keong talks about wanting to have clean and honest campaign but Dyana is being subject to incessant personal attacks and even character assassination, not only by UMNO Ministers and leaders, but also by Gerakan leaders like Chang Ko Youn and Liang Teck Meng.

These Gerakan leaders want to take the high moral ground of clean elections but they do not hesitate to indulge in gutter politics!

Even before Dyana’s candidature was announced, she was the target of a vicious attack on the social media, with several UMNO cybertroopers posting a photograph allegedly of Dyana in a pink bikini in an attempt to question her character with regard to being a Muslim and wearing such revealing outfits.

In actual fact, it was a photograph of Filipino actress Pauleen Luna.

Dyana’s response to such dastardly deed was a real class act as she commented when asked on Twitter if she had seen the photo, she replied: “I did. That’s why I said I wish I had that body! LOL. Need to work extra hard at the gym.”

Who was responsible for the despicable deed on the social media trying to pass off Filipino actress Pauleen Luna in bikini as Dyana Sofya?

The fingerprints of Umno cybertroopers for such a foul deed are all over the place, but we were prepared to let the matter rest as netizens exposed the scam almost immediately after the deed was committed.

Now, the bikini photo of Pauleen Luna has surfaced in the Teluk Intan by-election and distributed in the Malay kampongs to to give the impression that the bikini photo is that of Dyana.

How can the Gerakan candidate Mah allow such a dastardly act to character-assassinate his opponent, Dyana, especially as Mah and the Gerakan leaders have pledged to ensure that the Teluk Intan by-election will be clean and honest one?

Or is Mah and Gerakan completely helpless because they are not in control of the Barisan Nasional Teluk Intan by-election campaign, just as the Gerakan leaders had always been lost at sea in Barisan Nasional national decision-making, as their only role is to say “Yes” to whatever UMNO had decided with no powers or right of saying “No” or to help influence the Barisan Nasional decision-making process.

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Why I support Dyana Sofya

 — Ong Kian Ming

The Malay Mail Online

May 24, 2014

MAY 24 — I have the privilege of knowing Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, DAP’s candidate for the parliamentary seat of Teluk Intan, for more than a year. During this time I have found her to be a resourceful, intelligent, diligent and very capable young lady with a bright future ahead of her. I have been inspired by her youthful idealism and energy. I am confident that if elected, she will make the Teluk Intan voters proud to have her as their Member of Parliament. Here are three reasons why I support her candidacy in Teluk Intan.

Firstly, she has shown her ability to think critically and independently on a number of important national issues. And she has demonstrated her ability to defend these her positions despite facing vicious attacks from her detractors. For example, in September 2013, she suggested that poor non-Malays should be given an opportunity to study in a tertiary institution that is similar to UiTM, which was set up with the specific purpose of helping Bumiputeras from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue higher education opportunities. Even though she did not ask for UiTM to be opened up to non-Malays, she was attacked by many high ranking officials and politicians including an Umno Selangor leader and former Minister, Datuk Noh Omar, and the Vice Chancellor of UiTM, Tan Sri Prof Dr Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar.I doubt that many MPs would have stood their ground the way Dyana did in the face of all these attacks. She remained unfazed and steadfast.

Later on, she was not afraid to point out the ludicrousness of a proposal to make UiTM into a ‘Royal’ university in order to ‘protect’ its Bumiputera status especially since one arm of UiTM – INTEC – is already open to non-Bumiputeras.

She is clearly not afraid of calling out top BN-Umno leaders whether it is asking Home Minister, Zahid Hamidi, not to make Malaysia a laughing stock when accusing Mat Sabu of being involved in the Shia movement with any concrete evidence or reminding the former IGP, Tan Sri Hanif Omar, that Dr Mahathir himself had questioned and criticized the Malays.

She has brought up the need to think critically on a number of issues including the importance of our Rukunegara,the failure and dangers of the BiroTataNegara (BTN) especially in impacting inter-ethnic relations and the need to understand and remember our history.

These are exactly the qualities which are needed in a Member of Parliament – someone who is not afraid to question the status quo and to come up with alternatives on how to make our country into a better place for everyone under the sun. Indeed, I can safely say that Dyana Sofya, in her one year as Lim Kit Siang’s political secretary, has said and written more substantively on important national issues than Mah Siew Keong during his 7 months as Gerakan President.

Secondly, she has shown her capability in taking on her many responsibilities as Lim Kit Siang’s political secretary. Although not originally from Johor, Dyana relocated herself to serve the voters of Gelang Patah in tackling their constituency problems. I am confident that she will bring the same energy and experience in tackling the constituency problems in Teluk Intan.

During her time in Johor, she has also tackled new issues and tried new methods to address these issues. For example, even though she is not a big fan of reptiles and wildlife, she took time to visit the mangrove swamps in Sungai Pulai in order to understand the importance Ramsar wetlands sites. In doing so, she understood the importance of not just preserving these sites for their environmental significance but also their importance in preserving the livelihood of the people, including fishermen, who live near these wetlands. As a small way of addressing this problem, Dyana, together with her DAP colleagues in Johor and a local NGO called Jaring, organized a group of about 100 volunteers to plant 500 mangrove seedlings to increase awareness on the need to conserve these mangrove wetlands.

In addition, Dyana also undertook new initiatives to reach out to Malay voters by connecting them with some DAP representatives. For example, her own family hosted Howard Lee, DAP ADUN for Pasir Pinji I was also a beneficiary of this programme when Dyana put me in touch with Muhaimin, a culinary student as well as an avid DOTA player. I got to spend a night at Muhaimin’s house in Datok Keramat, KL, watched him play DOTA with his online friends and also hung out at the mamak with some of his secondary school friends including Umar Azmi, a student activist who was arrested during the Occupy Dataran movement in 2012.

Thirdly, Dyana has consistently shown a great desire to continuously learn and improve herself. She constantly engages with her more experienced colleagues at the DAP headquarters in KL and at the state level in order to fill gaps in her own knowledge. She regularly attends conferences and seminars on a diverse range of issues covering economics, education and environmental issues in order to gain new knowledge. She is always willing to take on new projects and challenges. Prior to being named, she had submitted a proposal to revive the ‘Kuiz Kenegaraan’ or Nationhood Quiz as a means to increase exposure to and knowledge of our constitution, history, art & culture, religion, national leaders, government policies and international relations. Unlike past efforts, however, she proposed a format for this Quiz that would be decided by a bottom-up consultative approach that would make the quiz a true reflection of Malaysian society.

It is exactly these sorts of new ideas and ways of looking at existing challenges in Malaysia that is very much needed at every level of government. Dyana is a breath of fresh air in the Malaysian political landscape that will spur on the winds of change, starting in Teluk Intan, and then spreading to the rest of the country.

I urge the voters of Teluk Intan to vote Dyana based on her abilities, her capabilities, her ideas and idealism, her youthful spirit and energy, her steadfastness and maturity. I urge the voters of Teluk Intan to cast a vote in support of the future of Malaysian politics. I urge the voters of Teluk Intan to cast a vote to break down racial, religious, linguistic, cultural, gender and age barriers.

* Dr Ong Kian Ming is the MP for Serdang

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