KUALA LUMPUR – The perception that DAP is a Chinese party is a false one that is the result of decades of “demonisation” by its political opponents, say two of its Malay members.
For these two women, who are contesting in the 15th general election (GE15) under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) banner, DAP is very accepting of racial diversity.
When met in Penang, Syerleena Abdul Rashid, 42, the PH candidate for Bukit Bendera, said, “when you repeat a lie, constantly, over and over again, people tend to take it as (the) truth.”
Likening these attacks to the Nazi propaganda of Joseph Goebbels, she added that the issue isn’t really with the party, but the “outside forces… that continue to demonise DAP”.
This was echoed by Bentong hopeful Young Syefura Othman, 33 who cited the example of the languages used in DAP events, an issue often utilised to fuel animosity towards the party.
“I know that it may seem like a small issue (to us party members), but society sees it as a big problem,” she told The Vibes during a campaign walkabout in Bentong.
However, Young Syefura, who is the incumbent assemblyman for Ketari in Pahang, claimed that in reality, the primary language used in all DAP meetings is Malay.
When asked about a recent DAP event – the announcement of party candidates for Johor – Young Syefura and Syerleena said party leaders will use the language that is easiest for local audiences to understand.
The event, held on October 30 and streamed live on Facebook, ran for approximately three hours. Save for the announcement of candidates and speeches by non-Chinese leaders, the rest of the event was conducted in Mandarin.
As for what DAP can do to improve this negative perception, Young Syefura said party members need to pay heed to “what it looks like from the outside”.
While welcoming such criticism as constructive, she said DAP should avoid these problems entirely by being more sensitive and understanding, not just how it may look to outsiders, but how it may make certain people feel.
For Syerleena, the incumbent assemblyman for Penang’s Seri Delima state seat, the bigger issue at hand is education.
“Why don’t we provide language tools to our children,” she said, adding that learning languages such as Mandarin or Tamil should be compulsory as it would better reflect the nation’s multiracial composition.
When asked how such a mandate might affect the position, or perceived position of Malay as the national language, Syerleena said when one talks about teaching students other languages it should be supplementary because “Bahasa Malaysia is already our language, and no one is going to take that away from us”.
Of favouritism and identity politics
Dismissing claims that favouritism and identity politics have accelerated their political careers, the two believed that service to the party and their constituents is the real reason they have been entrusted with their candidacies.
Young Syefura attributes her rapid success to hard work and commitment to the party.
Rara, as she is fondly known, rose rapidly through the party’s ranks, going from Kajang municipal councillor in 2016 to Ketari assemblyman in 2018 and now, less than 10 years after joining the party, an MP candidate.
She also holds the position of DAP Socialist Youth deputy national chief and is a member of the party’s central executive committee.
Young Syefura said she feels a sense of responsibility in making the party known and “to show the Malay community that this party exists”.
Born to a family active in politics, PAS and later Amanah, Young Syefura said when her friends teased her for joining a “Chinese party”, to which she replies with: “Then you should join DAP and we can all make the party more Malay.”
As for Syerleena, 42, she believes that such criticism comes from a more sinister place.
Expressing concerns shared by many women politicians, she said no one would “question how (a man) got to where they are”.
With experience ranging from activism in NGO Aliran to an appointment in the Penang Island City Council, Syerleena in 2018 won the Seri Delima seat with 80% of the votes, defeating MCA’s Khoo Kay Teong and Tan Yang Yung of the Malaysian United Party.
Speaking to The Vibes during a campaign walkabout in Penang, Syerleena also believes that the importance of diversity in positions of power is about bringing previously unheard voices to the forefront.
Syerleena faces a five-cornered fight for the support of 92,521 voters in Bukit Bendera. She will go up against Hng Chee Way of Perikatan Nasional (PN), Teh Yee Cheu of Parti Rakyat Malaysia, and Richie Huan Xin Yun of Barisan Nasional (BN). Razalif Zain is also contesting in the seat as an independent.
As for Rara in Bentong, she faces the veteran MCA leader Tan Sri Liow Tiong Lai, PN’s Datuk Roslan Hassan, and two independents – Achik Khalil and the seat’s incumbent and former DAP member, Wong Tack.
Malaysians will head to the polls on November 19. – The Vibes, November 16, 2022
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