TELUK INTAN Gerakan chief and BN's candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election Mah Siew Keong appears rather unperturbed by the attention his opponent Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud is getting, even from Mah’s own coalition members.

Dyana said yesterday that she “pitied” Mah as BN seems busy commenting about her candidacy under a DAP ticket and not about Mah.

But Mah, in an interview at his operations centre today, clearly did not feel sorry for himself.

“It’s okay, she is more glamorous,” Mah said.

Despite a host of questions, Mah did not, even once, have anything to criticise about Dyana. He said he believed in healthy competition and he was upholding it.

“The former MP for DAP, Seah Leong Peng, was a very good friend of mine. I believe in a good competition. There is no need for slandering or silly photographs,” Mah said.

“She’s a clever girl, and she’s a pretty girl. I respect the decision DAP has made, they would have thought of all the angles before making their decision,” Mah added, in a rare show of political maturity that so often eludes politicians during campaigning period.

Mah insists he does not know Dyana well enough to say anything about her strengths and weaknesses.

Mah went further and stressed that he was keeping his campaign modest, without any extravagant events in order to personally connect with the people.

“We have no concert, lucky draw or grand dinner. We know those things don’t work any more. So we are meeting up with the people,” he said.

Even though some quarters would claim that Mah’s advantage in the by-election is due to his race, a Chinese being fielded against a Malay in a Chinese-majority constituency, Mah, just like Dyana, says that he believes in being Malaysian and refused to even categorise his chances among the races.

“I don’t think it matters any more,” he responded when asked if he thought him being Chinese could win him Chinese votes against the DAP candidate.

“I think now people are very Malaysian (in their outlook),” he said.

The only issue Mah seems to have with DAP’s campaign is insinuations that he would still become a senator should he lose the by-election.

“I thought DAP is a party that talks about policy. I don’t know why I’m being attacked over this matter. I did not even include my own name when my party recommended two individuals to be made senators,” he said.

Mah might have lost the last two general elections in Teluk Intan, but he still commands great respect from the constituents here, and it is easy to understand the reasons.

Win will give Gerakan bargaining power in BN

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