Even before she is officially confirmed as the DAP candidate in the May 31 Teluk Intan by-election, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud is already the victim of a smear campaign that includes pictures of her in a skimpy swimwear.
The 27-year-old political secretary to DAP leader Lim Kit Siang has been attacked on the basis of her ethnicity and religious beliefs – for being a Malay Muslim running for a seat touted to be predominantly Chinese.
Several blogs also recently published photos of a woman clad in a pink bikini, saying it was Dyana and questioned her character as a Muslim.
After the pictures went viral, some social media users said they were not of Dyana, but that of Filipina actress Pauleen Luna.
Responding to the incident, Dyana said she was surprised by the wave of attacks that ensued, following rumours of her candidacy for the by-election.
“My personal details were misused... And now, to tarnish my image further, there appears to be a photo of me allegedly wearing a bikini.
“While I think the Pinay actress in question is very attractive, I feel this really displays the level of gutter politics that our opponents would go to, especially against a female.
“Guys, please grow up,” she said in her letter to The Malaysian Insider, adding that the episode made her realise that Malaysian society is misogynistic.
Several DAP leaders and political analysts have also spoken out against the attacks, speculating that the ones responsible behind it were Barisan Nasional’s (BN) cybertroopers.
They said those who were out to discredit Dyana were unable to comprehend the fact that a Malay would want to associate themselves with a Chinese-majority opposition party like the DAP.
“All this while they have told the Malays that DAP is a Chinese party. They are doing this to tell the community that those who join the party are not 'real' Malays because 'real' Malays don't wear bikinis or revealing clothes,” said political analyst Professor James Chin of Monash University Malaysia.
Political analyst Oh Ei Sun believed the attacks against Dyana were politically motivated.
“It is too coincidental, given that rumours of her being a potential candidate surfaced recently. Her rivals were certainly trying to portray her as not a good or real Malay, who in their minds should be conservatively dressed,” said the analyst from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
The 27-year-old political secretary to DAP leader Lim Kit Siang has been attacked on the basis of her ethnicity and religious beliefs – for being a Malay Muslim running for a seat touted to be predominantly Chinese.
Several blogs also recently published photos of a woman clad in a pink bikini, saying it was Dyana and questioned her character as a Muslim.
After the pictures went viral, some social media users said they were not of Dyana, but that of Filipina actress Pauleen Luna.
Responding to the incident, Dyana said she was surprised by the wave of attacks that ensued, following rumours of her candidacy for the by-election.
“My personal details were misused... And now, to tarnish my image further, there appears to be a photo of me allegedly wearing a bikini.
“While I think the Pinay actress in question is very attractive, I feel this really displays the level of gutter politics that our opponents would go to, especially against a female.
“Guys, please grow up,” she said in her letter to The Malaysian Insider, adding that the episode made her realise that Malaysian society is misogynistic.
Several DAP leaders and political analysts have also spoken out against the attacks, speculating that the ones responsible behind it were Barisan Nasional’s (BN) cybertroopers.
They said those who were out to discredit Dyana were unable to comprehend the fact that a Malay would want to associate themselves with a Chinese-majority opposition party like the DAP.
“All this while they have told the Malays that DAP is a Chinese party. They are doing this to tell the community that those who join the party are not 'real' Malays because 'real' Malays don't wear bikinis or revealing clothes,” said political analyst Professor James Chin of Monash University Malaysia.
Political analyst Oh Ei Sun believed the attacks against Dyana were politically motivated.
“It is too coincidental, given that rumours of her being a potential candidate surfaced recently. Her rivals were certainly trying to portray her as not a good or real Malay, who in their minds should be conservatively dressed,” said the analyst from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
