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Sakmongkol ak 47

ariff.sabri@gmail.com

Sunday 1 June 2014

Teluk Intan Byelection: Mah Siew Keong won by a 238 majority



I have said what needed to be said in the preceding article. Here is my take on the Teluk Intan by election.
The people of Teluk Intan did not make history as I wrote yesterday. We cannot fault their choice even though we may disagree with them. They have complete freedom to reverse the choice they made in May 2013. It’s the right to recall exercisable though the ballot box. We must respect that.
We must not be condescending towards those elated at seeing DAP lose, because we know victory for BN isn’t their priority- their overriding desire is to see DAP eat humble pie. Each night, DAP is causing them nightmares. Indeed, we offer our sympathies to those whose sleep have been haunted with nightmares of DAP taking over Malaysia. The apparitions of Kit Siang and Guang Eng, Tony Pua, Anthony Loke must be too much for them. They can’t stand the Tiger of Puchong either.
It’s no big deal. My article was a political pamphlet meant to persuade readers in the direction of a particular conduct. Enthusing about a subject matter is not a crime.
The DAP candidate lost in yesterday’s Teluk Intan buy-election. A loss is a loss. We must congratulate Mah Siew Keong who will go on to become a minister. This was promised by Najib. He will join some MCA leaders to be inducted into the cabinet. Mah will likely become a minister in the PM’s department in charge of some things to fill up the work space.
Mah Sew Keong won by 238 votes. For Dyana Daud, this wasn’t a bad showing and performance at all. She will re-sharpen her claws to come back again. We must thank all party workers and supporters who worked hard and cried when Dyana lost. This tells me only one thing- they will become more resolute and fortify their resolve.  
Now, it’s time to reassess the DAP’s loss. Was it a bad move to field a young Malay professional in an area where the majority of the people are Chinese? Malays only formed 38% of the population. Combined, the non-Malay voters would give an overwhelming victory to DAP candidate. What did DAP lack doing that couldn’t get them victory this time- but it secured a win the last time it fielded a Chinese candidate?
Many came back to me on the internet with cynical remarks about the loss. The Malays will continue to become window dressers. I in particular will still become a stooge to the tokong lims. The previous article I wrote was counting the chickens before they hatched. Those who remarked so do not understand how to play politics. It was an article meant to shape conduct and action for this election. But the infantile minds would not understand would they? So, we will leave them in their miserable state of mind.
Was the selection of Dyana Daud a tactical mistake given the initial opposition by grassroots in Teluk Intan? Maybe it was indeed a tactical mistake but strategically it was a correct one. It corrected the misconception that DAP is a sinister political party out to destroy a Malay led government. It is good for  the long run.
I suspect there were some DAP members who did not accept the CEC’s decision to put up Dyana Daud- but the number is small. Maybe these people did not come out to vote and maybe up to 200 did not vote. Maybe some of these were among the 550 spoil votes soiling up the voting slips in protest.
This was a price DAP has to pay to prove to the people, that it is serious in advancing the cause of a multiracial society consisting of Malaysians committed to a government that rules on the principle of rule of law. Its willingness to put up Dyana in a place, in which the majority are Chinese, reinforces its commitment. It has won adherence.
To the Malays- that has done a lot to dispel the image that DAP is a Chinese chauvinistic party. I have been doing ceramahs with my PAS counterparts in many Malay areas in Teluk Intan- Kampung Bahagia, Batak Rabit, Kg Sungai Samak, Kg Banjar, sungai Tunku, etc. Malay attendance in these places was reasonable and the response was enthusiastic. Something done as a sign of goodwill invites reciprocal goodwill. Support from Malay voters is up this time. In PRU13, Malay support was around 25%. This time, initial results showed Malay support has gone up to 28%. This should be taken as a positive point.
The perplexing issue is the drop in Chinese vote and Indian votes. There was a noticeable drop of Chinese votes from 85% to 70% and Indians from 61% to around 50%.
There may some simple explanations regarding the unimpressive Chinese response. It may be just a case of not going out to vote. Participation this time is just 67%. Only about 41,000 came out to vote. If we take the racial composition of inhabitants in Teluk Intan as proximate measures of voters, the pattern is 42-38 -19 per cent breakdown.
If Chinese voters make up 42% of the voters, then there should be around 17,000 Chinese voters. If 70% of them voted DAP yesterday, DAP secured 12,000 Chinese votes.  We expected 85% of them to vote for DAP but they didn’t. About 2,500 Chinese did not vote neither by staying away or voted the other way.
The 2500 who did not vote DAP this time acted as they did either because they do not agree with DAP’s decision or stayed away. Either way, DAP must now spend as much time to cultivate the minds of their core supporters as they do on Malays to reinforce the  idea that the way forward is to have a multiracial based party. It is our common future.  They have to accept that more and more Malays will join the party. But they need not be fearful of the leadership structure, the majority of DAP leaders will remain in Chinese leaders. To me it does not matter if the majority of DAP leadership remains in Chinese hands provided they have the right values that support our common vision.
What is heartening is the show of support from the younger generation and the Malays. Malays are slowly accepting that the worth of an individual is in the causes he espouses. Malays who attended the ceramah at OCBC square appreciated when Chin Tong stopped his speech to give way to the Azan. Many Malays told me they were teary eyed at Liew Chin Tong’s gesture. DAP has gained respect from the Malays in Teluk Intan.
The older generation is more or less set in their ways and it is very difficult to dislodge them from long held perceptions. Older Malays see DAP as the chauvinistic and sinister party UMNO portrays them as. The older Chinese may have opted to choose Mah because of his ethnicity and also with the hope that with a full ministership, Mah can deliver many of the promises made during this election. The drop in Indian votes may be explained by the simple fact that many of them have chosen to acquire immediate gratification in so many forms the BN offered them during the by-election. In these hard times, their actions are understandable.

26 comments:

Anonymous,  1 June 2014 at 15:37  

agreed ...

Anonymous,  1 June 2014 at 15:50  

With a the millions , threats, promises and visit by Government Ministers at tax payers expense what is so great about a 238 victory margin.
The win does not in any prove that BN has been accepted by the people.
The read fight is GE14.
A 3% Malay swing nation wide will do wonders.

Anonymous,  1 June 2014 at 15:57  


Dato;

prejudice die hard ; DAP need to show more sincerety to convince the Malays masses. For s a start, elect Malays in their CEC , takkan sorang pun Melayu dalam DAP tak layak dipilih dalam CEC.Second, appointlah few malays from DAP as exco in Selangor and Penang state government. Takkan Malsys in DAP only fit to become foot soldier. Dia orang pun nak dapat jadi macam Speaker Selangor, dapat gaji melebihi gaji Perdana Menteri

Kalau benda mudah macam ni DAP tak boleh buat, tak usahlah harap undi dri orang Melayu. Tak cukuplah Cina DAP pakai songkok, pakai baju Melayu macam dibuat oleh Lee Kuan Yew dulu. Bila dah dapat kuasa, kebajikan orang Melayu diabaikan.

Orang Melayu Celik

Unknown 1 June 2014 at 16:10  

Kalah atau menang sesuatu pertandingan itu merupakan sesuatu yang lumrah. Itu pun kalau pertandingan itu boleh di kira jika di laku kan di atas padang yang sama rata. Begitu juga yang mengendalikan nya misti amanah dan ikhlas.

Tetapi bagaimana pula dengan kertas undi yang di keluarkan dan di kira dengan kertas undi yang berlebihan saperti di bahaw ini. Andai ia nya bernar benar berlaku, boleh kah pertandingan itu di kira sah?

Kenapa jumlah tak sama?

392= Pengundi awal
39,850 = Pengundi Hadir Mengundi
40,242 = Jumlah Pengundi Hadir Mengundi

19,919 = DAP
20,157 = BN
505 = Undi Rosak
40,626 = Jumlah Undi Awal dan Undi Biasa

40,242 – 40,626 = 384(Mana datang nya kertas undi yang berlebihan ini?)

Anonymous,  1 June 2014 at 16:43  

God damn it Dato. I was really hoping Dyana will win this seat but an arrow strucked my heart when the result was announced. I hate to say this but i feel the non-muslims voters swing their votes to the useless BN. May their conscience be hurt badly by this decision.

Anonymous,  1 June 2014 at 17:08  

Agreed with you, Dato. It is not only the malay that need to change their mindset, the chinese need also change and so do the indians. But we are on the right track and all parties in pakatan need to educate their members about judging people on their ability and issues theystand for not their skin colour. Continue with good work in educating the malays, Dato and get someone to help educate the chinese and the indians and other minority too. To Dyana, failures is not meant to destroy you but a step towards greatness. Continue your fight and congratulation because you had just won the heart, mind and imagination of malaysians towards a better Malaysia. Malaysian are behind you and you can only get better.

Anonymous,  1 June 2014 at 20:19  

Shakirin AlIkram June 1, 2014 at 4:35 pm
Not by aong shot. Look at the EC figures, turnout 40,234. BUt adding up 20,157 DAP 19, 919 and Spoilt votes 550 = 40,626. Therefore the difference of 392 is duplicated in BN’s 20,157. Mah Seow Keong got postal votes twice. Proof?
19,765 (including 392) + 392 = 20,157!
DAP Winner NOT BN, any dispute talk to the figures – its EC on record in the videos of 31/05/14.

ordinary malaysian 1 June 2014 at 20:23  

Whatever might be said, the move to field Dyana was a brilliant one! One might disagree, but that's only because he can't see beyond race to issues. That's the sad thing.

Until we can find ourselves to vote beyond ethnic lines, what we are effectively doing is to allow the status quo to hold sway and the races to remind divided and suspicious of each other, a situation that suits the ruling elites to a tee.

The TI Chinese thought that they had voted for a Chinese without understanding that they had in fact voted for dUMNo who will continue to remind the of their place. How poetic!

Tell Dyana not to lose heart. If you believe deeply in a cause and hold on to it, it is just a matter of time when you see results.

the mean machine,  1 June 2014 at 20:24  

Mah Siew Keong should do a post mortem of his slim 238 majority win over Dyana Sofya.

First he has to sit down by himself or with family members or close confidantes and ponder over the following.

1) Is this not one of the dirtiest election in Malaysian politics done by Umno leaders on behalf of his candidacy?

2)Did not dozens of federal ministers descend from Putrajaya to canvass for him?

3)Did they Umno leaders not indulge in gutter politics where everything goes including the toilet and kitchen sinks?

4)Did the Umno leaders sent in the mat rempits to intimidate the voters and candidate?

5)Did Umno set loose the Umno youths on a rampage against the DAP?

6)Was it not Umno leaders who called the Chinese ingtates?

7)Did the UMNO/BN dished out goodies in the form of ang pows,hampers,cooking oils and sacks of rice?

8)And lots more?

If Mah's answer is yes to all of the above and he won with just a slim margin of 238 votes would it be an insult to his inteligence or his supporters should he accept the ministerial post as promised by Najib?Has this man any pride or dignity left if he accepted this ministerial post?What will happen if he hears people giggling or laughing behind his back?Will he pretend that all these insults were meant for somebody else?

walla 1 June 2014 at 20:34  

Sak's right. Pakatan must register as a unified entity, become a single national brand and speak uniformly from now on with one voice only.

Uniting under a single umbrella name with a commingled organizational structure and combined resources will more than tip the scale against a Barisan which today is but just a tattered Umno scarecrow propped by paid bullies, twisted media and jaundiced judiciaries including an EC run by slithering sycophants. The other Barisan components remain hangers-on crows hawing emptily on its arms.

Once a national brand is em-bossed on the political landscape, invite Hindraf and all the moribund parties in Sabah and Sarawak to join as equals. They have plenty of gripes, just no means or leverage to articulate them. Let Pakatan be the whale-sized bearer of their bad tidings to Barisan.

As example, the way Uthayakumar is being mistreated is enough a seething platform for the Indian community which has lost all honor and face today, for that matter hope. Thus the fair weather friend posture.

Therefore, do not underestimate the leverage Hindraf has at the grassroot level with Indian voters who need to regain their dignity. Similarly, do not overestimate Hindraf's present stance of demanding more than it is actually willing to accept; it's just pre-negotiation posturing. Finally do not discount how the non's can gain sentimental support one community to another in critical areas at crossroad times. You have to find the common burning platform for both Chinese and Indians so that they can reinforce one another.

Suffice to say, there are three objectives ahead.

One, put into place a specific program to transit our Malay mindset in the peninsular completely away from Umno Baru. This program must comprise what is still left to be done plus what must never be quotable as said or done for UB's media has been corrupted until it no longer has any backbone let alone journalistic conscience.

This nationwide paradigm shift of our Malay mindset is the critical objective. Given the gerrymander- ing still practised by the Umno-puppet EC, changing the Malay mindset is the only way Malaysia and the future of our Malays can be rebuilt on the platform of the Will Of All Rakyat of Malaysia.

So what is the platform for our Malays? In just one word - Justice.

The work is already cut out on how often how many of our own Malays have been tarred by Umno-style Injustice.

In addition to a feudal patronage system of favored dispensations, blockage from promotions and federal aid to those deemed of opposing politics, and the criminal use of federal systems and institutions against those who would otherwise act on moral conscience. The list is endless and you know it.

We can't have a government that bludgeons its citizens using their own truncheons of human rights and fair-competition policy.

In elevating Pakatan as a single entity, any mutually opposing stance between the three components will dissolve so that the non's who are still partisan to Barisan will be further encouraged to see the Pakatan movement as the only new shape-charged spearhead reality for the future of all.

Two, mobilize for Sabah and Sarawak that centrally places its diverse grassroots on the road to a new Putrajaya, not the Putra-Kaya of Umno and its Barisan kaki's.

walla 1 June 2014 at 20:34  

2/2

For one, you cannot reach the hearts of those two states if the hudud ideal is retained. Abandon it as a limited and draconian theocracy to be replaced by the limitless expanse of an islamic state of mind that can resonate with the moral principles of other faiths, thereby eliminating all those synthetic tensions that miss the whole point about the Almighty.

At the same time, and this is important, paint a role for the Malays in those states so that their future is equally assured and much better.

And three, election strategies must be grounded in real-world tactics.

The TI business community are the ah-cheh-ah-chor chinamen and women still in pants of tin-mining vintage weighing a ringgit here, a canteen business there.

Learning life the hard way of personal thrift until dire parsimony, they will take what's today because they can't see the impact of big things done today on the tomorrow's of their children - who have left them to become independent - and thus are no longer part of the equation of their lacklustre semi-cynical remnant lives in the sleepy towns they were born in to die from.

What with the chinese folks in TI, so too with the thousands others of pre-Merdeka vintage from the Malay kampungs, the Indian squatters and so on.

Their minds are locked in the time-warp of media-soothed knee-jerks against anything that is perceived to disrupt their daily schedules of steady suffering in familiar settings interspersed with the occasional arms-length interactions with faces of Umno in their midst.

You got to find a way to break that comfort zone to make them angry. Injustice. That's the ticket. Remember the vote swing when the cowgate scandal popped?

And yet if you talk about the massive losses of PKFZ and 1MDB, if you talk about the nosedive of MAS and Proton, if you talk about the crony carpetbaggers in KL and C4-ed foreigners, if you ask where those extra votes had come from - well, they will look at you like blur sotong's. Because that's what they have become. They have only monocular vision and extremely short memories bordering on dementia. Which Umno minister to blame for that today? Oh yes, that bovine Pagoh dickhead. Or could it be the drain long-jumper? Or how about the nutcase frog with a rectangular mouth working as hired racist gun of Umno?

Where are we today? After GE12, Pakatan members wanted to celebrate. If memory serves, i immediately cautioned against that. In fact, i wrote about the imperative to maintain the momentum by branding the movement as one unified front. More than a decade later, nothing done. Umno was tottering at that time; it went to Shah Alam to pow-wow and from there pirouetted like a russian bear on vodka from one pr disaster to the next. That explains why it has to employ thugs these days just to yank out of thin air 238 votes from phantoms of the TI opera.

That's the situation today. So Dyana must not give up. Be cool - it's just a bend, not the end. Around the corner? go on a roadshow to share your experiences and inspire the thousands more like you who can lift up and save this nation.

But one lesson to learn. Never again wear a funereal black tudung. You know how pantang those chinese folks are.

Small details can make big impressions. Get a checklist crafted out - on everything. Write it like a script.

I stop worrying now. Auf wiedersehen, kameraden.

OneMalaysian,  1 June 2014 at 20:49  

Dear Sakmongkol

“Now, it’s time to reassess the DAP’s loss. Was it a bad move to field a young Malay professional in an area where the majority of the people are Chinese?”

Perhaps I should share with your readers what I discovered on my trip to Teluk Intan Thursday, 29th. I had gone to assess for myself what the ground feel was because the media hype surrounding Dyana was so strong that I thought it might be good to check how people actually felt about her chances. The so-called analysts were all going gaga about her winning and creating history.

I was a tourist, and the locals knew it so they were not inhibited about freely expressing their opinion. Of the several people I talked to a surprising number (majority) said they thought people would vote for Mah this time around. I asked why. Their answer surprised me. They said this is just a by-election so there won’t be a change of government however they voted (translation: they voted DAP in GE13). So why not vote the local boy they knew versus the newbie whom they didn’t know. What surprisingly simple logic. Nothing sophisticated about corruption, racial politics, cronyism, GST, etc. But no one spoke about Dyana being Malay as the reason they were voting for Mah.

This being a by-election was also the reason why many didn’t return from outstation to vote. So the Chinese vote dropped 15%. I believe when GE14 comes around and voters sense a chance to change the government they would return to the DAP.

Despite the loss, I think DAP made the right decision in fielding Dyana. It has to walk the talk that they are not a racial party. The DAP simply must attract more Malays to join its struggle. For those who care to do some simple math with demographics would realize that within 20 years or so given current migration and birth rates of Malays, almost all urban areas would turn from Chinese to Malay majority seats. So an unchanging DAP would simply cease to exist in any meaningful way as a political party. It is better to act now while it is still strong and popular.

Anonymous,  1 June 2014 at 21:21  


Dato,
As i wrote earlier, The bloody indian reps in dap must have concentrated in the indian areas.
They should have used the "dap ladies slapped and punched" issue in indian areas.
Damn it DAP. i consumed too much of black label when dyana lost, Get a group of tamil speaking guys for any ceramah anywhere.
Kula posted a pic of him with some estate "supporters' Comeon lah, did the indian leaders in dap penetrate the indian voters.
Shit ! That indian percentage could have given a handsome win for dyana.
DAP i dont suggest but an order, get tamil speakers well versed in the lingo and go into indian areas.
I was watching via ubah.tv , not 1 tamil speakers at the ceramah even if there was a brief short speech.
All the time ,the dap speakers were like mental cases shouting out in chinese to people who have nothing better to do but attend the ceramahs for side dish, .
Dato, the crowd on the 30th would have given delirium to bn but what happened.
Tension lah dato, all my friends were very disappointed.
To DYANA , Baby ! DONT GIVE UP.
NEXT time around we indian uncles will come to aid you. If it means neutraling the mic gangsters who slapped and punched the two ladies.
VETRI VEL VERA VEL ! DYANA DONT THINK YOU LOST d elections, With all that was happening, no one can blame you.You were the victim of old politics .
DAto, Im sure you will guide dyana 4 d future war in 3 to 4 years time. Dap maintain TI for Dyana.Reserved seat .
Next time around, she'll have ample support .
SUMPAH

Anonymous,  1 June 2014 at 22:33  

Like you said dato', you write political article to serve political agenda. Anyone who mistaken it for something else, it's their own doing.

Talking about a failed tactical move as seen in teluk intan for DAP but yet claiming it as a necessary step in DAP long term strategic move boils down to certain conclusion. The war room is either fools for hatching such risky tactic that wouldn't support the long term objective of DAP or dyana is just a dispensable tool.

Unknown 1 June 2014 at 23:29  

Dato,
I have followed your blog for quite some time.
You always hit the nail on the head.
Your articles are good reading. Your analysis are right to the point.
Please bring in more Malays to join DAP and train them and let them contest in constituencies where they can win.
We still have racial politics, including the Chinese. We want to see more Malay DAP reps (both parliamentary and state)being elected in GE 14.
Dato, kindly continue your fight for a better Malaysia for all Malaysians regardless of race and religion.
Thank you.

Anonymous,  2 June 2014 at 00:28  

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"...Also I really hope DAP and PR partners have begun reaching out to the rural folks in parliamentary areas where they lost in the last GE. Convince our citizens that you have a plan that is fair to all. Pledge zero corruption. Bring back the harmony and unity among the races. Stop the decline. If a citizen cannot say I'm proud to be a Malaysian and proud of the Malaysian next to me regardless of race and religion, we are going nowhere as a nation

bryan 2 June 2014 at 04:45  

Although victory will have been sweeter and gleeful for Diyana and DAP / PKR, still optimism on the future political landscape and those who will be taking on pivotal roles is what gives hope with this by election message.
Something happened here, the significance of which may or may not be realised ,only time can tell.
A virtual unknown youth can in an instant appears and takes on a voice to defy and challenge all the arrogance of the establishment,demonstrating that the Malaysian Gen-Y of today,that trancends ethnicities ,but especially in one particular community which have being taken granted for , for so long,is not going to be as ignorant and willingly be spoon fed any longer. They have wised up and discerning enough to realise that they too can
challenge the same arrogance and question the authority entrusted to those who serve the best interest of all Malaysians, if they were to abuse the priviledge.
That has been the message broadcasted by Diyana,
who from obscurity has become an iconic representation of the youthful dissenting energy directed against the condescending arrogant tyrants of the current regime..

UMNO /BN can underestimate this tumultous undercurrent of the youthful dissenting sentiments at their peril, till it explodes in their faces,in an unstoppable collective force.

27 year old Diyana has the advantage of time and she will shine when her time comes.
All is fair in love and war and elections.Win or lose, thats democracy.!
Somehow this by-election carried a positive message that racial politics can slowly be phased out or is gradually evolving into a more acceptable version for Malaysians , brings hope and optimism. A prelude of things to come..
Substance and qualities of individuals ought be color blind to skin tone. and is what really matters,especially if there are those who possess the qualities of one who can lead all into a state of prosperity and well being.
Perhaps that is a dream for a Malaysia in the distant future.
But if Martin L. KIng can have a likewise dream,so can many of us.
IN order to do so, obstacles ,mental and institutional ,NOW ! need to be dismantled..or their sense of insecurity risk causing much more havoc and damage to the nation's psyche, it will take longer to recover from the trauma inflicted after they are eventually booted out.

TRust restored to whoever is in charge,
(apart from the decaying ,stubborn regime now , who seems to be in a state of denial that they are rotting away from their core. like the drug addicts denying they have a problem.)

That whomsoever has public confidence that they definitively work for the common good of all.
Maybe not in my lifetime but Diyana's and her generation ..

bumi-non-malay 2 June 2014 at 06:07  

All analysis Wrong....

PAS , PKR, DAP need to have equal share of all seats....... 1/3....of ALL ADUN and Federal MP seats...ALL over Malaysia....

Sack PKR from Sabah Sarawak first.....

Then have a mentality that in Every election of SIGNIFICANT importance that can DENT UMNO Racist ideology, play with 3,000 - 5000 votes Deficit at the Start.....That will make you do more door to door campaigning...

Perhaps PAS and PKR and DAP Malay now need to ask " APA Lagi Melayu Mahu"????...but that is then copying the Sickness of UMNO Racist ideology....

We should Congratulate the Teluk Intan people now to see what development comes in this 3.5 years left....or are those promised project only coming on the eve GE14?? Otherwise to the teluk Intan People Padan Muka kena BARANG NAIK...like to Sabahans and Sarawakiand who keep voting UMNO-Barang Naik!!!

in short Phantom votes of 3000-5000, illegal votes are UMNO-Barang Naik NORMAL Modus Operandi....the Question is... are the 52.5 % of Rakyat Malaysia berani B B B B.......bangun Bangkit Bantah BERONTAK!!!!!???

Crime is everywhere, War in Sabah,Brang Naik, Stupid education systems....Apa lagi Malaysia mahu to TOLAK UMNO-BN???...Mahu Mati Kah????

bruno 2 June 2014 at 07:10  

It is a blurdy shame that samsengs get to rule the day in Teluk Intan.Teluk Intan voters should be very ashamed of themselves,condoning samsengs to be their masters.All for what? Extra business,pennies in your pockets,packets of rice,hampers to sell your children's,grandchildren's future,your pride and dignity to the Umno?

bruno 2 June 2014 at 07:43  

If Dyana continues her hardwork of serving Malaysians and work for a better Malaysia,in GE 14 she will definitely be voted into parliament.

It is better to learn to fall and take the fall in stride when one is young,then to take a fall when one is old and not be able to stand up and fight another day.

For a greenhorn to take on a veteran with dozens of the Umno federal ministers behind him and lose by 238 votes,the shame and embarrasment is on them,young lady.Stay firm and stand tall.Cheers.

Anonymous,  2 June 2014 at 08:44  

B4 Malay join DAP. Put Malay first in CEC

Sumpitan Emas,  2 June 2014 at 10:05  

Dyana, you have done well, very well as a first-timer against a veteran who didn’t mind and still don’t mind partying together people responsible for “the massive losses of PKFZ and 1MDB, …MAS and Proton”. It’s a small set-back for the price you made the other side pay for what is, in hindsight, a non-event – “Nothing sophisticated about corruption, racial politics, cronyism, GST, etc.”, in a cultural setting still haunted by “funereal black tudung “ — read as, Chinese shamans’ deathly grip on the Chinese psyche (that went on to prove that there was no life to be had for the ordinary Chinese until Deng Xiaoping came to the rescue) while giving the shamans the superior life, even without a throne, to be consulted on everything everywhere. You were in part-bomoh part-BR1M territory, unwinnable for now.

Dyana, this phase will soon pass and the morrow is yours and those in your generation – honest, educated, rational and confident. So, stay on course - the next time isn't too far away. The man who waited six years, now will have to spend the next three and a half years cracking his head to prove he is no ingrate. Good luck Mr Mah.

Thank you Saadun Sulaiman and Anon 20:19, for simplifying the arithmetic of deceit. I have spent a whole lifetime at the other end of mathematics that I have forgotten how to add and subtract. Some people add and others get subtracted, and we now know why Marina Mahathir says Malaysia Boleh should be changed to Malaysia Tak Boleh.

Thank you Dyana and Marina, too.

One last request. Dyana, please whisper to LKS to tell the superman that if he wants to indulge in politics for adults, discard the tee-shirts – branding is not art but emotion.

Anonymous,  2 June 2014 at 19:22  

Samsam: Yet another "Yes Minister" would be added to the already over bloated PM Department likely to be tasked with some postman like duties but drawing fat salary in an oversized cabinet that can even out-matched India. But would the people who voted him knew or cared about that?

Unknown 3 June 2014 at 01:15  

We `gambled' at the wrong time now we are down to 88. So back to the drawing board. For sure the majority of DAP supporters were from out of town. They had buses to ferry them BUt for RM 10.00 return I believe as what Dr Ong said, we fail to not reach the 75% target.
No more Dyana (rookie) with her Mak (UMNO/Perkasa) baggage till 2016 (Sarawak State Election and GE 14 2017/18!
That flooring it from 7k+ to -238. Serious damage control and in-depth pulse feeling of local DAPs to gain again. As Mah had said, Chineses would want (anak TI) Chinese rep! Now a POST-mortem is mandatory!
In the meantime, Mah has 3 years or 4 to deliver his University, Sports Complex and speedier Wifi.
For Gerakan sake he better hop on to it!

Anonymous,  3 June 2014 at 08:45  

Your analysis is spot on. DAP/Pakatan may have lost a seat but strategically there are many pluses which must be appreciated. Fielding Dyana is not a mistake and she is was not a sacrificial lamb as many have commented. She is in fact like a rough diamond which when eventually polished, will be a shinning star. She has won many young voters over and even the Malay support has increased. Mah was the BN Goliath, with the full might of the BN army and bribes behind him that she almost disposed off. That in itself something to shout about. Her chances might have been better if she had been fielded in a more urban constituency. But the biggest price is that she has become a symbol to aspiring young people that DAP is worth considering if they want to have a better future.

elizabeth 3 June 2014 at 14:37  

I think to move forward, DAP must continue this stratgy to project a more malaysian image, and to have more non-chinese be it Indian or Malays to join the party. It is in DAP's interest to have stronger Malay candidate, good enough to be MB material. Of course, malaysianising DAP would pose as a threat to PKR...

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