TELUK INTAN Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has lamented the obsession with DAP's candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud in the Teluk Intan by-election, reminding supporters that BN's candidate is in fact Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong.

 

"We need to re-calibrate our campaign in Teluk Intan to promote OUR candidate and quit this obession with our opponent," he said in a Twitter posting this evening.

 

Meanwhile, Bernama reported Khairy as saying that Mah (r ight ) is the best candidate for BN due to his extensive experience in Teluk Intan.

 

"Although he was not so lucky in the last general election, I'm confident that he's the best candidate in terms of understanding the local issues in Teluk Intan and his experience as former deputy minister," he said after visiting Universiti Sains Malaysia's Doping Control Centre.

 

On DAP fielding Dyana in Teluk Intan, Khairy described the move as merely a tactic by the party.

 

"We are not concerned, we feel that we still have strong support, especially in Changkat Jong."  

 

"We have strong machinery there. I'm confident the Malay voters in Changkat Jong will continue to support the BN candidate," he said.

 

'MPs clash over Dyana'

 

Earlier today, Umno's Kota Belud MP Abdul Rahman Dahlan got into an argument with several DAP leaders, accusing them on capitalising on Dyana's race in the election campaign.

 

"Funny how DAP boasts they are raceless party yet they will never remind Teluk Intan voters of Dyana's race," he said in a posting.

 

DAP's Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming ( left ) then shot back: "Seems to me that Umno leaders such as Shahrizat Abdul Jalil are more obsessed with Dyana's race".

 

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng also joined the fray, tweeting: "Racist to the core!" in response.

 

However, Abdul Rahman insists Dyana should only be introduced as a lawyer to voters without her race.

 

The Teluk Intan parliamentary seat fell vacant when its incumbent DAP's Seah Leong Peng, 48, passed away due to cancer on May 1.

 

Nomination day is on May 19, while early voting is on May 27 and polling day on May 31. 

 

In the last general election, Seah defeated BN candidate Mah and Independent Moralingam Kannan by a majority of 7,313 votes.

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