Don’t deny others what you received
Salleh Said Keruak
Just six days ago on 21st May 2014, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, the DAP candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election, said that her mother, Yammy Samat, had never joined Perkasa. Today, Yammy announced she is resigning from Perkasa, an organisation that she was supposed to have never joined.
Whether Dyana’s mother had or had not joined (or is still a member of) Perkasa is not an issue because it is not her mother who is contesting the by-election. After all, Shahrir Samad, the brother of Khalid Samad, the PAS supremo for Shah Alam, is not only a senior Umno member but was once even a member of the Cabinet.
So the issue of what organisation or political party a member of your family joins should not be an issue that we waste time discussing. After all, Malaysia is a democracy that allows freedom of association. So whom you associate with is your business (unless it is a terrorist organisation).
What is of concern is the fact that something denied just six days ago has now been confirmed as true. Hence an untruth was told to fool the voters of Teluk Intan. That should be what has to be of concern.
Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud has spoken out against UiTM, a university that gave her an education. She would not be where she is today if not because of UiTM and now she is opposed to the very institution that allowed her a place under the Malaysian sun.
Is this fair to millions of other Malays who over the next few decades would need the same opportunities that Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud received? This is just like trying to shut the door to others after you have got in.
Today, spurred by what Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud said, opposition supporters are even questioning Article 153 of the Constitution and are asking whether this Article allows institutions such as UiTM to exist. In other words, is UiTM a violation of Malaysia’s Constitution?
