Why the Dyana phenomenon?

Lee Way LoonPublished: May 21, 2014 11:40 AM | Updated: May 21, 2014 11:05 PM

TELUK INTAN How long has it been since the nation’s limelight has fallen on a by-election?

And when has a rookie politician, newly exposed to the media, win overwhelming Internet popularity, but has also come under attack, even from the formidable former prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad?

TELUK INTAN How long has it been since the nation’s limelight has fallen on a by-election?

And when has a rookie politician, newly exposed to the media, win overwhelming Internet popularity, but has also come under attack, even by the formidable former prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad?

Since the announcement of her candidacy for the Teluk Intan by-election, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud has been a key word for Internet searches, with more than 4.3 million results on Google.

The number of fans on her Facebook page, which was set up less than three days ago, has skyrocketed to over 30,000.

At the same time, leaders of BN component parties have gone on overdrive to lambaste Dyana, with Umno-friendly blogs passing off photographs of a bikini-clad Filipina actress as her, and ministers attacking her physical appearance, racial identity and alma mater.

Even Mahathir ( left ) got into the act, giving parenting tips to Umno members to inculcate loyalty to the party in their offspring.

The attention to Dyana, complimentary or otherwise, has not only overshadowed her opponent Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong, but the entire by-election itself.

But the question is, why the Dyana phenomenon?

Veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin wrote this in his blog: “When I woke up this morning, I saw five messages from a former Umno divisional secretary on my cellular telephone. One read: 'Dyana is said to be the latest state of the art Samsung 5s (sic) while Mah is Nokia. Sigh!”

Such a description is appropriate to many, especially the younger generation. They think Mah, and the party he represents, as an outdated product, though he is only 53 years old.

Mah had conceded that he is not a tech-savvy person at the last party national congress right after he got elected as the new party chief.

But he said he felt fortunate to have many capable party members, amongst them the national youth chief Tan Keng Liang, who is very active on Twitter.

However, what Mah may not know is Tan's poor reputation in the virtual world as he has tweeted controversial remarks, with some regarding him as a laughing stock.

Compared to Mah, Dyana portrays an energetic image, and has laughed off various attempts at running her down. Many have been surprised by the maturity of the 27-year-old.

The young woman comes off as a fresh breath of air, given the current political environment which is dominated by male chauvinism and racism, and where an authoritarian regime rules.

Umno is worried

Undoubtedly, the main reason for Dyana earning swift nationwide fame is her charismatic personal appearance, as well as her identity as Malay female candidate fielded by the Chinese-majority DAP.

While her image as a young and well-educated Malay woman is precisely what Umno wants in party recruitment and its targeted voters, her Umno family background has infuriated the party even more.

It is not too difficult to understand why Umno is so uncomfortable with Dyana's candidacy.

Glancing at young and educated leaders in Umno, at this juncture, many can only name Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, while the most recent female icon in the party, with some popularity, is former Puteri Umno head Azalina Othman Said ( left ), who is now 50.

Many Umno writers have joined in the discussion of the Dyana phenomenon, including Zaharin Mohd Yasin, who wrote on Facebook that DAP is actually behind time by “selling” the Malay female elite now.

This is because Umno has done that years ago, with the emergence of Rafidah Aziz, Shaharizat Abdul Jalil and Azalina.

However, netizens were quick to reply that "these are past leaders, where are the new ones?"

The replies not only embarrassed Zaharin, but also reflect Umno's anxiety in recruiting a new batch of capable leaders.

In fielding Dyana in Teluk Intan, DAP not only aims at quelling the internal fighting in the party but also to fill a vacuum in the party’s composition.

As Bilut assemblyperson Chow Yu Hui opines, should Dyana be elected, it could start a trend of young Malays joining DAP/Pakatan Rakyat, which will be at Umno’s cost.

DAP's paradox

In all fairness, Dyana has yet to produce outstanding political views, and the idea of DAP breaking racial barriers by putting up a Malay candidate is rather superficial.

It is paradoxical for DAP that stresses on being “colour-blind” to highlight Dyana's race in its campaign.

Furthermore, while DAP chided Khairy ( left ) for linking the by-election to a beauty pageant, Perak chief Nga Kor Ming on the other hand, kept calling Dyana a “beautiful lawyer” in his Facebook page.

In a ceramah on Monday night, Nga claimed to have bumped into an old man who admired Dyana's beauty, and even tried to take down Dyana's poster to take it home. Nga said he had to stop the man.

In the same event, Batu Kawan MP Kasturi Patto praised Dyana as a kind person with fair skin.

Some attendees of the ceramah were also heard discussing Dyana's complexion, and some even said she looked like the famous Taiwanese actress, Shu Qi.

Similar reactions reportedly took place in Malay areas such as Kampung Bahagia, where wolf-whistles and cries of “ alahai comelnya ” (So pretty!) followed Dyana, and not many paid attention to her speech.

Pakatan leaders like Husam Musa of PAS and Perak PKR chief Muhammad Nur Manuty, have also been said to have highlighted Dyana’s beauty to drum up support from the voters.

There is no doubt that Dyana has become a phenomenon with her attractive appearance and fresh image.

The next question is, with her growing popularity, how will DAP and Pakatan convey a deeper political message, beyond trumpeting her appearance?

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