TELUK INTAN DAP's Teluk Intan by-election candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud "pities" her rival for the parliamentary seat, Gerakan chief Mah Siew Keong, for not getting as much attention as she has.

Dyana, 27, in a tongue-in-cheek remark yesterday, said everyone in BN was talking about her, including former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"Even Mahathir is talking about me. I pity (Mah), no one talks about him. Everyone is too preoccupied talking about me," she quipped before a crowd of about 70 people at a ceramah at the PAS Markas in Taman Sri Cicely late last night.

Dyana ( right ), a Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) law graduate, has been subjected to attacks by several Umno leaders, largely because she hails from an Umno family but opted instead to join the predominantly Chinese DAP.

Her mother, Yammy Samat, is a former Umno leader. She has been active in politics since the age of 19 and was the first woman to head an Umno division.

                    

Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil had warned Dyana not to be a traitor while Mahathir expressed his disappointment , saying that Dyana's parents should have taught her about Umno's contribution to the nation.

Lim praises Yammy

Yammy, who followed her daughter on the campaign trail throughout yesterday, was praised by DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang for rebutting Mahathir regarding Dyana's upbringing.

Yammy had reminded the former prime minister that Dyana was like Marina , Mahathir's eldest daughter who is a social activist and often a critic of the government.

"That is a brave response. What a mother this is," Lim praised her lyrically at another ceramah in Pekan Baru Teluk Intan.

When met on the sidelines of one of the ceramah sessions, Yammy said she believes Marina and Dyana were very much alike as they were both "fighters", though her daughter opted to join an opposition party to champion what she believes in.

Voting for Teluk Intan by-election wil be on May 31.

Related stories

Factionalism plagues DAP despite Dyana-mania

MCA wants apology after Dyana-Ibrahim Ali pic

Dyana: Mum was never Perkasa leader

Marina: Dyana is three-up on most politicians

Mah: It's okay if Dyana gets all the attention

She 'pities' Mah, even Dr M talks about her

Win will give Gerakan bargaining power in BN

Youths on motorbikes heckle DAP candidate

Gerakan baits voters with Mah as cabinet minister

Why the Dyana phenomenon?

Mahathir, our children can judge themselves

Marina, tell us about daddy’s parenting style

Expect more mud to be thrown at Dyana

In Dyana vs Shahrizat, Round 1 to the neophyte