Acknowledging photo with Ibrahim Ali, Dyana insists against his ‘extremism’
The Malay Mail Online – 15 hours agoRELATED CONTENT
- Teluk Intan DAP candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud (pic) confirms that she had taken …
TELUK INTAN, May 20 ― DAP's Teluk Intan hopeful Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud confirmed today she had taken a photograph with Perkasa's Datuk Ibrahim Ali, but stressed that she opposed his extremist stance.
The 26-year-old law graduate explained that the picture of her and her mother ― who is an Umno member ― posing with the controversial leader of the Malay rights group was taken at an event celebrating Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's honorary doctorate from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).
“Just because I've a photograph with him does not mean I agree with his ideology,” Dyana Sofya told a press conference at DAP's operations centre here today.
“I disagree with his stance on being an extremist,” she added.
Dyana Sofya also said that the event was a Semangat 46 reunion, referring to the party that splintered from Umno during Kelantan prince Tengku Razaleigh’s feud with then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“I was there to accompany my mother,” said Dyana Sofya.
Dyana Sofya’s mother Yammy Samat, Ibrahim and Tengku Razaleigh, popularly known as Ku Li, were in Semangat 46 together before the party later disbanded.
When asked if she disagreed with Ibrahim’s ideology of fighting for Malay rights, Dyana Sofya said it was his extremism that she opposed.
Perkasa began life in 2008 as a one-man pressure group on Malay rights but later grew in numbers and influence after its cause found traction with a largely-Umno audience.
The ubiquity of Umno members among its ranks also led to the perception that the group was an indirect outlet for the more conservative elements of the party.
As Perkasa president, Ibrahim is a vocal in his demands for what the group perceives to be Malay special rights and privileges.
The position often puts the party in conflict with DAP, leading to regular public spats.
At the press conference today, Dyana Sofya also said an internal DAP survey conducted this month among 400 Teluk Intan voters showed that the rising cost of living and inflation were the most important issues to them.
“Fifty per cent of voters say that the increasing price of goods is the most important issue, while 16 per cent said corruption is the most important issue,” she said.
Dyana will face Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong 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.
Responding to Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, DAP's Teluk Intan by-election candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud says she will not become a traitor to Malaysians.
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