By Kashturi Patto, MP for Batu Kawan

Sharizat Abdul Jalil, your statement on 18 May 2014 in which you had conveniently placed DAP’s young, smart, Malay candidate, Dyana Sofya, in the crosshairs of UMNO-BN has proven once again that character assassination is the modus operandi for the political survival in UMNO-BN ~ dulu, kini dan selamanya

Shahrizat’s accusation that Dyana Sofya had allowed herself to be used as a tool and ‘puppet’ of and by DAP in the Teluk Intan by-election and above all, her pity and sympathy towards Dyana Sofya has once again bagged the award for being amongst the most ludicrous statement to escape the lips of a ‘senior’ BN politician in the country.

As usual Shahrizat, has proven to Malaysians once again that she has delusional tendencies as it is not Shahrizat who should sympathize with Dyana, but rather that Malaysians should sympathise with her, offering their pity, and perhaps a bitter reminder that she was dropped as a BN candidate in the much awaited 13th General Elections last year.

Perhaps Malaysians should also help Shahrizat jog her memory back to 8 April 2012 when she ‘graciously’ stepped down as Senator and Minister for Women, Family and Community Development and deemed a sacrificial lamb by the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak who happily instated himself as Menteri Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat. The cold, hard truth is that, Shahrizat, other than being a bag of hot air, you were a burden to UMNO-BN, having no leadership qualities and being embroiled in one of the nation’s biggest scandals and then reinstated by the very government that had made you step down.

How is it that Shahrizat Abdul Jalil was not selected as a candidate in the last election? Perhaps the burning question would be why wasn’t she given a chance to contest in GE13? After her defeat in Lembah Pantai in 2008, to a young, bright, bold Nurul Izzah she was appointed as Special Advisor to the Prime Minister for Women, Family and Social Development Affairs as she held no cabinet positions at that time.

Shahrizat Abdul Jalil was appointed Minister of Women, Family and Community Development after Dato Seri Najib took oath as the 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia. Ironically, she was sworn in as a Senator in the Dewan Negara a day before her appointment, a prerequisite to qualify to be appointed as a minister. She was appointed Special Advisor, Senator and then Minister, to represent the female community at large, despite having lost in the 12th General Elections, which is a clear reflection of the rakyat’s choice. How this transpired, baffles me. And if this is indeed one of Najib’s transformation programmes, then it just goes to show the level of priority given by the Prime Minister in backing someone who had lost the people’s mandate.

Someone like Shahrizat, whose name was not even listed as a candidate, is now the Special Advisor (yes, again) to oversee the development of women entrepreneurs and professionals raking in a salary of RM 27,227.20 per month, totalling a whopping RM 326,726.40 per year, along with with other Special Advisors amounting to RM1.63 million. Fortunately, here are phrases in Malay to describe people like this ~ muka tak malu, syok sendiri and tak sedar diri

How dare you, Shahrizat who was handed a vote of no confidence by the rakyat and the party, who was not even given the chance to contest in the last election, whose fat salary as a Special Advisor is fuelled by the rakyat, have the gall to label Dyana Sofya as an ‘alat’ and ‘boneka’?

Dyana need not have to selak kain, or use abusive language like ‘bangsat‘ to earn the trust and respect of Malaysians at large. Dyana has already earned the love, comradeship, respect and trust from Malaysians from all walks of life, regardles of race, religion, gender, age and even political affiliations for a principled stand, along with the of us, and that is to fight for a just, free, democratic society. The fight for a Malaysian Malaysia. Something you and your UMNO-BN members will never understand, shielded under your protective, racist veil.

Dyana Sofya is a clean, respectable young lady, and we as Malaysians, will not tolerate a second of your abuses hurled against her to score some brownie points within your party ranks; a feeble attempt to show how grateful you are to the hand that feeds you.