DAP has a far better track record in empowering young women to be politicians than Umno, says DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) exco member Dyana Sofya.

“The youngest state assemblyman in Johor is Johor Jaya assemblyman Liow Cai Tung who won the seat at the age of 27, while Hannah Yeoh became the first female speaker in Malaysia at the age of 34, something Umno has failed to achieve despite 60 years in power,” she said in a statement today.

She was responding to Umno information chief Annuar Musa’s remark at a ceramah last night that DAP was only using young Malay women like Dyana for publicity’s sake.

“Umno is still trapped in racial politics that’s why they cannot appreciate the achievement of these young women just because they are non-Malays,” said the former aide to DAP national adviser Lim Kit Siang.

The candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election in 2014 added that Annuar should look in the mirror when he accused other parties of playing up communal issues.

Dyana also rebutted Annuar, who had questioned her qualification to be in politics, saying that she has a master’s degree in diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and a law degree from Universiti Teknologi Mara.

She also tackled Annuar’s claim that DAP was the dominant force in Pakatan Harapan (PH), saying that it was impossible for DAP to dominate PH as the party is contesting in the least number of seats.

Dyana then turned the table around and said his statement reflected Umno’s dominance in BN.

“Do the other component parties agree to cooperating with PAS? Or would they be forced to because they are subservient to Umno?” she said. – October 10, 2017.