PETALING JAYA, April 11 — Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud said she would have only a slim chance of winning in Teluk Intan, Perak, should DAP field her in the seat where she was beaten by Gerakan’s Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong.
The lawyer contested there in 2014 when DAP experimented — unsuccessfully — with fielding a Malay candidate in a Chinese majority seat that it had considered safe.
Four years on, she feels her opponent will be even harder to defeat than before.
“Mah is not just anybody. He is a minister and had done a lot of work for Teluk Intan.
“We know he will not be easy to defeat. That is why we feel there is a 50-50 chance, but we will see how it goes,” she told ProjekMMO, Malay Mail’s sister publication last week.
In 2014, Mah pipped Dyana by just 238 votes, but in essence overturned a 7,000-vote disadvantage from 2013, when he had lost to the late Seah Leong Peng.
Dyana also said it was premature to suggest she will again be fielded in the seat, stressing that it will be her party’s prerogative to decide.
There were also many ways she could serve the public without standing for elections, she added.
“If I am given the choice, I would want to serve the party, our supporters and the public, but the platform has to be given by the party.
“Even if I do not contest, there are other platforms where I can serve the public,” said Dyana.
Aside from the 2014 defeat, her political stock is also in doubt following her engagement to Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari early last month.
The pair finally confirmed their relationship following months of rumours, but rivals have seized on their previous denials to continue attacking the two DAP leaders.
On her wedding preparations, Dyana said the priority now is the general elections.
“At the moment, we are focusing on our work and the elections. Win the elections, then we will think about the wedding,” she said.
Dyana said she felt lucky that her wishes to start a family received the blessings of her parents and the support of her friends in the political world.
