7 Reasons Why Dyana Sofya Lost To Datuk Mah

DAP's overconfidence in keeping Teluk Intan, and not voters’ disillusionment with Pakatan Rakyat (PR) over various issues, caused the pact the federal seat it wrested six years ago from Barisan Nasional (BN), say analysts.

They told The Malaysian Insider that the time frame of just a year after the 13th general election was too short for the electorate to be disappointed with PR over its handling of key issues mostly centred on the state of Selangor, or for Teluk Intan voters to "punish" the opposition coalition.

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"One year of disillusionment pales in comparison to more than 60 years of what is essentially corrupt BN rule so I don't think this argument holds water," political analyst Dr Oh Ei Sun told The Malaysian Insider. "The lower voter turnout is more the case of them thinking that this by-election would be a sure win for DAP," he added.

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He said one of the reasons that contributed to BN's victory was because rival DAP adopted the wrong strategy, adding the party appeared arrogant and overconfident in the run-up to the by-election. "Their contention that 'a win was in the bag' and gloats over the huge number of people who attended their ceramah as a sign of victory were wrong," he said.

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DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng (pic) on Sunday cited three reasons why the party lost the Teluk Intan by-election, after making a preliminary analysis. "The first was due to the very low turnout of voters compared to the general election.

“The last time around, DAP was highly dependent on votes from their outstation constituents, but they failed to return and vote during the by-election.

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"Chinese votes dropped by 15% while Indian votes dropped by 11% but Malay votes increased by 3%. "Of course the turnout was reduced. The lower turnout cost us our 7,000 majority. "More than 90% of the outstation voters voted for DAP in the last election. "If 1% of the outstation voters came back, we would have won," Lim added.

Dr Chin added that the people voted for Mah instead of Dyana because they were looking at national issues.

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At the national level, the possible impact of the hudud issue especially among the Chinese community, the lack of resonance of the Hindraf and Hindraf-related issues such as the resignation of Waythamoorthy as Deputy Minister and the appeal of Pakatan Rakyat in other similar constituencies – ethnically mixed, semi-urban with many developmental needs and relatively poor internet access – are all issues which need to be pondered over by the PR national leadership.

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Political analyst Khoo Kay Peng also said while some voters might have been disillusioned by PR's problems in Selangor as well as its poor handling of the contentious hudud issue, not all voters from the semi-urban seat are currently living or working in the country's richest and most industrialised state.

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Instead, the analyst from Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies believed DAP lost to BN's superior election machinery on the ground. "DAP usually wins by mass appeal but in a close race like this, the election machinery on the ground really matters, so DAP needs to work hard on strengthening this area," said Oh.

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"Thirdly, Dyana (Sofya Mohd Daud) is very new. She was only introduced to the electorate two weeks ago. "Perhaps, she did not have enough time to enable voters to get to know her," Lim told a press conference at Dewan Dato Haji Ahmad Badawi in Butterworth after the prize giving ceremony of the first race of Penang Run 2014-2015 on Sunday.

Political analyst Khoo Kay Peng said choosing the Gerakan president in the by-election was the best decision voters there had made. “Mah has much more experience, stature and local knowledge – that is the factor which aided him to win back the votes Barisan previously lost,” he said when contacted by The Star.

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Commenting on DAP candidate, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, Khoo said she was capable, but her ideas were too abstract. “People need something they can relate to in tangible terms. Ultimately, what voters want is someone reliable and who will work towards solving their issues.

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"Secondly, it was due to politics of threats, not just violence but also threats in 'developmental politics', such as 'if you do not vote for a minister, you will be denied development'.