YOURSAY ‘It’ll be disastrous for BN if Mah was to lose to a greenhorn.’

BN sends Mah to take on DAP's 'Tigress'

Ferdtan: So DAP’s Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud will take on Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong in the Teluk Intan parliamentary by-election. Who will win?

It will be a close fight for sure. Generally in any by-election BN, with its formidable machinery and resources, stands better chance to win than the opposition.

Thus the obvious strategy of DAP by putting Dyana, a Malay candidate, is very clear. It is to draw more, or at least enough, votes from the 38% Malay population to off set the expected lower votes coming from the 42% Chinese and 19% Indian voters as compared to the last general election.

The anti-BN sentiment now is not as strong as before due to various reasons, like the hudud issue and the lack of cohesiveness within the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

One more important point is that outstation voters (usually the younger middle class who are generally anti-establishment) may not come back to vote.

For DAP to win, it is imperative to woo these voters back to vote. With Dyana as the candidate, it has created excitement in this by-election but will it be enough to win?

Also the Indian voters of 19% are kingmakers here. Ignore them at your own perils for both contesting parties.

Anonymous #38642598: Mah Siew Keong, is not that I don't like you, but I like Dyana more although I am a Chinese Christian.

Jiminy Qrikert: DPM Muhyiddin Yassin said: "He (Mah) contested in the last election, but lost with a majority of only 7,000 votes."

This is just another typical example of BN in self-denial mode. BN continues to deny that Pakatan, especially DAP, is leading the rakyat to a new era of truly multiracial future where we look beyond race and focus instead on issues and needs.

Mah was beaten by an Indian candidate, reversing his 9,000 plus majority and winning by 1,470 votes in 2008. That means about 11,000 voters chose DAP's multiracial future over BN's divide-and-rule racist politics.

Then Mah again lost by 7,313 votes in 2013 to a Chinese. That's another 6,000 plus voters who want a multiracial non-discriminatory future with DAP over BN's bigotry and racism.

Now, DAP is again demonstrating multiracial inclusivity with Tigress Dyana, a Malay. My guess is Dyana will trash Mah with another increased majority in a rakyat's show of total rejection of BN.

After that, Mah's political career will be over. And Gerakan will go kaput.

Bluemountains: It looks like Mah is going to score a hattrick. He lost Teluk Intan in 2008 GE and 2013 GE.

It will be disastrous for Gerakan and BN if Mah, as a veteran, was to lose to a political greenhorn.

Joe Lee: Mah may achieve a record of some sort. First, he was defeated by M Manogaran, then by the late Seah Leong Peng, and now very likely by Dyana. A trifecta from all three communities.

Louis: A young tigress taking on an old discarded horse, which one will win?

No sane person will pick an old horse in the racetrack, let alone to fight against a young tigress. Mah’s name itself does not augur well for him. My prediction is this young tigress will maul this horse.

Apa Nama: Whoever wins or loses is not important. But what is important DAP willing to give the younger generation an opportunity to contest based on capability and merit.

DAP has succession plan. BN does not. It is still fielding an old man. Is BN running short of young candidates?

Anonymous_5fb: Mah, Dyana is almost half your age, and you are a president of your party, while Dyana is not even a central committee member of DAP.

But you must aware, Malaysians are sick of Umno politics, that is against your party's ideology. Well, your political shelf life has long expired.

Get ready to walk into history, Mr Gerakan President. Teluk Intan by-election will be a bye-election for you.

Righteous: It needs someone from outside, with bright, young eager eyes "to see the forest for the trees". Mah is politically fossilised, with blurry eyes and a wagging tail for good measure.

Anonymous #07451242: This time I and my friends in Teluk Intan will vote for pretty Dyana.

We are not going to look at the race of the candidate, as long as she is a Malaysian first and race second.

Shibboleth: We in Bukit Gelugor are so envious of the voters in Teluk Intan.

The next two weeks, they will have free dinners, Psy or equivalent concerts, hampers, free sugar and rice, lucky draw prizes and after-dinner "desserts". Christmas has indeed come early.

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