Teluk Intan folk unimpressed by Dyana, prefer local candidate, Gerakan survey finds

(Malay Mail Online) – Many Teluk Intan voters lack confidence in Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud’s ability to represent them in Parliament as the DAP candidate is not local and may not understand their concerns, a Gerakan Youth survey found.

According to the survey of some 500 voters, locals want their representative to be able to focus more on local concerns, the New Straits Times reported today.

“Those are among the main concerns of the people we interviewed during our walkabout in the constituency since campaigning a week ago,” Gerakan Youth deputy treasurer Chan Tzun Hei was quoted as saying in the local English daily.

Chan added that the locals doubt Dyana’s candidacy as former MP, DAP’s Seah Leong Peng, had said he would prefer a local to replace him before he died earlier this month.

Seah’s death triggered the by-election and polling starts tomorrow.

DAP’s choice of a fresh-faced ethnic Malay in a predominantly Chinese constituency was seen as “progressive” but Dyana will be up against political veteran Datuk Mah Siew Keong, who is Gerakan president and a Teluk Intan local.

Mah was Teluk Intan’s MP from 1999 to 2008.

Previously, The Malay Mail Online reported that some Chinese locals in Teluk Intan were unimpressed with Dyana as the people there have had “Chinese MPs for decades”.

A local businessman was quoted as saying that Dyana did not stand a chance in winning the Teluk Intan seat.

Dyana will take on Mah in a straight fight for the Teluk Intan federal seat in Perak tomorrow.