Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has blasted Wanita Umno for "playing dirty" in discouraging women to join politics.

"I thought only men played dirty, but women also do," he quipped at the Penang DAP Wanita dinner at the Han Chiang College Hall last night.

"(Wanita chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil) has said our Teluk Intan candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud is only cosmetic and a puppet.

"Who said this? It's the Umno Women chief herself, and who is she? She is not talking about cows, but about cosmetics now," he said referring to the National Feedlot Corporation 'Cowgate' scandal.

Lim announced Dyana Sofya's candidacy in Teluk Intan on Saturday, where the 27-year-old lawyer will face off with Gerakan president Mah Siew Kong, 53, a former deputy minister.

Responding to DAP's announcement in George Town yesterday, Shahrizat said the young graduate from UiTM's candidacy was a mere "sandiwara" (show) by the DAP to deny it's "chauvinistic image".

The former minister was quoted by Malay language tabloid Kosmo saying she felt sympathy for Dyana Sofya for not realising that she is a mere "puppet used by the DAP" to achieve its political aims.

'Clean elections please, BN'

Lim said even before Dyana Sofya was declared DAP's candidate for Teluk Intan, she had already been attacked by several bloggers out to tarnish her image.

"She is a lawyer by profession, how can she be a puppet?" the DAP secretary-general asked.

"If we want more women to join politics, we ought to encourage, not ridicule them, with personal attacks or by playing dirty," he chided Shahrizat.

Lim called on Umno and BN to stop the "dirty games", saying DAP and Pakatan Rakyat want a clean and fair election.

"Don't look down on the abilities of our women," he added.

The dinner theme 'Gender Equality, Progress for All' hosted 83 tables and collected RM150,000 in sales of tickets, said Penang DAP chief Chong Eng.

Apart from Chong, many women leaders spoke at the event including Penang PAS Women's wing committee member Aida Yusof Rawa.

Meanwhile, Lim said the party supports and encourages women to join politics, saying that the number of women representatives have increased since the 2008 elections.

He added that in 2008, Penang DAP only had one assemblywoman cum state executive councillor, and one woman MP.

However, in last May's general elections, the DAP fielded four assemblywomen - Chong Eng (Padang Lallang), Lim Siew Khim (Sungai Pinang), Lydia Ong (Berapit) and Yap Soo Huey (Pulau Tikus) and one parliamentarian, Kasthurirani Patto (Batu Kawan), all of whom won their seats.

"This is our commitment to increase the representation of women in politics and governance," said Lim.

For the May 5 polls last year, DAP led the way by fielding 22 women candidates nationwide among its 153 candidates (14.4 percent), followed by MCA (13.3 percent), Gerakan (12.5 percent), PKR (11.1 percent), Umno (9.1 percent) and PAS (8.1 percent).