DAP national adviser Lim Kit Siang today branded Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) as "male chauvinists" with no respect for women after it described DAP's Teluk Intan by-election candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud as "cheap candy".

Isma vice-president Abdul Rahman Mat Dali said in a statement today that Dyana, 27, is being used as a cheap candy by DAP to fish for Malay votes.

"From the statement, it is clear that they don't respect women, they can only see women as candy and make objects of them," Lim told reporters after launching an operations centre at Batu 12, near Teluk Intan, today.

"If they want to call Dyana cheap candy, I want to describe them as male chauvinists," he added.

Lim also rebutted Umno supreme council member Puad Zakarshi's statement that DAP fielded Dyana to compensate for the fact that the party rejected hudud.

"We have fielded Malay candidates before, even in 1969. Puad was a deputy education minister before, he should read history," Lim said.

"I dont want to respond to such uneducated statements," he added.

Dyana herself refused to entertain questions from the media on this matter during her walk-about today.

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