TELUK INTAN, May 19 — DAP’s Hew Kuan Yau today expressed happiness over the party’s nomination of Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud for the Teluk Intan by-election, saying this would free him to continue his no-holds-barred speeches against rival Barisan Nasional (BN).
The Teluk Intan DAP chief, who had been heavily-tipped to contest the seat, said he was not upset that Dyana was picked over him although he is a more prominent figure in his hometown of Teluk Intan.
“I feel happy because I didn’t join a political party for MP-ship. To me, I prefer to remain as an ordinary member,” said Hew outside the nomination centre here this morning.
“Ordinary members can use full force to whack BN with no hesitation,” added Hew, who is popularly called “Superman”.
According to the former party election publicity chief, he can also use his popularity to campaign for Dyana, whom he described as a young, energetic moderate Muslim who appeals to a multi-racial Malaysia.
Hew did not appear during Dyana’s first rally last night, but explained that he had not been invited as he was already booked for environmental group Himpunan Hijau’s rally in Ipoh.
Another name previously tipped to contest the seat was Chong Zhen Min, the political secretary of Perak DAP chairman Nga Kor Ming.
Dyana’s pick over the two has triggered rumours of possible internal sabotage due to unhappiness over her selection over the two early favourites.
In a bid to shed its image as a predominantly Chinese party, DAP has instead picked a young Malay woman, Dyana, as its candidate for the by-election in Teluk Intan, a Chinese-majority constituency.
Dyana, 26, was formerly the political aide of DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang.
The Teluk Intan by-election, which is scheduled on May 31, was triggered after DAP MP Seah Leong Peng recently died from cancer.
In the May 5 general election last year, Seah defeated BN’s Datuk Mah Siew Keong with a 7,313-vote majority.
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.
