1. DAP membership
Ramkarpal: Just joined DAP this year
No record of political involvement before April 2014 except a photo with his dad:
Dyana Sofya: Former political secretary to Lim Kit Siang
2. Career
Ramkarpal: Works at his father's legal firm. Age: 38 years, single
Sofya: Own legal firm in Cyberjaya at the age of 27, single.
3. Public Statements By Ramkarpal Singh
Judge for yourself if he has the mettle, depth, knowledge, drive, passion, experience and charisma to be MP for Bukit Gelugor. What issue has he highlighted publicly? Google and find out. Here's a list I harvested from Google.
a. The Star
Ramkarpal The DAP candidate for Bukit Gelugor Ramkarpal Singh has declared himself an eligible bachelor and laughed off allegations that he is gay. The young lawyer said: “It’s not a crime to be unmarried at 38.”
b. The Malay Mail
DAP’s Bukit Gelugor candidate Ramkarpal Singh Deo rubbished talk today of his alleged sexual preference for men, telling Parti Cinta Malaysia’s (PCM) Huan Cheng Guan that the claim was nothing but “nonsense”.
Ramkarpal, though unperturbed by Huan’s insinuation that he could be gay, told his opponent for the Bukit Gelugor seat that his sexuality has nothing to do with the by-election and questioned his motive for raising such an issue.
“What has this got to do with his campaign? Is it really necessary for him to say such things? It has nothing to do with the by-election at all,” he said when met at the DAP Bukit Gelugor operations centre here.
Jokingly, Ramkarpal later added that Huan may have made such a claim “because he likes me”.
c. New Straits Times
The 38-year-old's voice is unmistakably a chip off the old block, with pauses and intonations uncannily similar to Karpal.
"I have stayed up late with my father to draft bills to be tabled in Parliament," he said.
"And I have worked nearly 20 years with him at his law firm, and about 15 years helping him out in politics.
"With that experience in hand, I want to continue what my father left off," he said.
It could be that Ramkarpal had been ill-advised by the DAP bigwigs, as he seems to miss out on the real issues affecting the people on the ground.
Issues plaguing the constituents such as petty crime, traffic congestion and land matters seem to be unresolved.
d. The Rocket
Nevertheless, Ram takes these comparisons in his stride. He is in no hurry to “replace” the iconic DAP politician. “It’s impossible to replace someone of his stature,” he says with pride, adding that he does not plan to be the reincarnation of the Tiger of Jelutong.
“While we shared a lot of ideals and I intend to carry on his work, I am not my father. Nobody is. Not my brothers or any one else. He was a special person.” Ram intends to carve out a niche for himself if given the chance to represent the people of Bukit Gelugor in Parliament.
“Give me some time to become my own man. My father took 40 years, I have just come into this (campaign) for two weeks,” he quips.
e. Bukit Gelugor by-election: Ramkarpal clarifies ‘find me a woman’ statement
The 38-year-old lawyer tweeted, on Sunday: “I refer to the article titled I’m single, find me a woman and wish to clarify that’s not what I meant.”
He continued, “What I meant was that behind every man there is a great woman and for now, I’m very contented and have to focus on my work.”
Ramkarpal, who is the third son of the late DAP chairman Karpal Singh, also added, “I am in no hurry to get married!”
In the report by the online news portal, Ramkarpal was quoted saying that he was single and that perhaps after the by-election, his next endeavour would be “to find the woman behind the man”.
He reportedly said he believed that “behind any man or a great man, there is a greater woman.”
He said this when addressing the audience at a Wanita DAP dinner themed “Gender equality, progress for all” in Penang on Saturday.
So far, all his staements have centred mainly on ONE topic :-).
NOTE: HE HAS NOT ISSUED ANY MEDIA STATEMENT AT ALL ON ANY ISSUE.
IN SHARP CONTRAST - here are the public statements by Dyana Sofya.
Why is Lim Kit Siang so anxious about her when she is doing very well? Why isn't he speaking up and campaigning fervently for Ramkarpal whose by-election is earlier? Food for thought!
This girl has guts and grit! She fights her own battles, no big brother to speak up for her, no CM to throw temper tantrums or declare how 'UPSET' he is. She stands on her own two feet!!!
a. The Star: Unfazed by wolf whistles
"I think voters are smart enough to know what I can deliver rather than to focus on my looks," she told a press conference at one of her campaign stops on Tuesday.
b. The Malaysian Insider - Shahrizat an example of how Umno has failed women, says Dyana Sofya
"The statement by Wanita Umno head Shahrizat Jalil that my candidacy is simply a show by the DAP is indicative of the failure of Wanita Umno in promoting its own members into positions of leadership in the party and in government.
"Instead of lauding DAP for the courage and the political will to field me, a young Malay woman in a seat traditionally contested by a Chinese representative from Barsian Nasional, Shahrizat Jalil has instead belittled me and DAP," Dyana said in a statement today.
"It is precisely this sort of negative attitude that originates from BN woman leaders that has constantly robbed women of opportunities to lead in this nation."
c. The Malay Mail:When did joining UiTM make us Umno members? says Dyana Sofya
Equal opportunity to all deserving Malaysians does not mean that the Malays will be robbed, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud said today after she was criticised by an Umno leader for questioning Universiti Teknologi Mara’s (UiTM) Bumiputera policy.
The DAP candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election said equal opportunity meant that more deserving Malaysians of all races, including many Malays who do not support Umno, will have access to quality higher education.
d. Media Statement by Dyana Sofya on 19th May 2014
As a graduate of UiTM, I take pride in my alma mater, just like many others with affectionate ties to their respective schools of higher learning, be it Ivy League institutions or local institutions of higher learning. I have always made it known, especially upon my foray into politics in 2011, that I am a lawyer, having graduated from UiTM Shah Alam. Having failed in its attack on my gender, UMNO is now using my alma mater as fodder for political attacks against me. My time in UiTM has trained me well enough to resist this attempt by UMNO to manipulate UiTM by using it as its political tool.
Sometime last year, I proposed in an interview that a similar institution like UiTM, which provides affordable, quality education to the Malays, be established for the non-Malays. I believed and I still do, that education should not be race-based. Access to quality higher education should be accorded to all qualified, hardworking and deserving Malaysians, irrespective of race, religion, region, gender and political affiliation.
While a student in UiTM, I noticed the discrepancy where rich children of UMNO leaders were admitted into UiTM while poorer but more qualified non-UMNO linked families were shut out. A responsible and righteous government will not condone such injustice. A responsible and righteous government will correct this injustice. But instead of being open to constructive proposals, UMNO has gone on the defensive by accusing me of wanting to abolish UiTM. This is precisely why many Malaysians feel that UMNO has lost its plot. Instead of working to improve this nation, UMNO closes both ears and reads what it wants to read.
Equal opportunity to all deserving Malaysians does not mean that the Malays will be robbed. It means that more deserving Malaysians of all races, including many Malays who do not support UMNO, will have access to quality higher education. UMNO has lost sight of our future and is more concerned of stoking ethnic sentiments in order to shore up its support base. A public institution, more so a public institution of higher learning should never be placed at the mercy of a political party. UiTM belongs to the people, and not to UMNO.
The extent of this ‘forced takeover’ of UiTM by UMNO has even resulted in UMNO leaders labelling me a traitor for being a candidate of DAP, as apparently according to these UMNO leaders, UiTM alumni are not supposed to do that. When did joining UiTM made us UMNO members? It is highly ironic that UMNO is claiming that UiTM students should support UMNO as this is the same party that discourages students from being active in politics. Students are to be free to express their views and thoughts, and be accorded their freedom to pursue their dreams and ambitions. No political party has a right to stand in the way of the dreams and aspirations of young Malaysians.
I call upon my fellow alumni, and to all students in public institutions of higher learning, to never allow yourselves to be chained to the agenda of UMNO and BN. An alma mater means a nourishing mother in Latin. Never allow UMNO and BN to rob you of a nourishing mother by turning it into a repressive master. I aim to further the cause of student and youth activism if elected into Parliament, for the young are raring to change this nation around and I hope to be given the chance to play my part in this.
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So, DAP - please make sure the quality and calibre of your candidates are NOT in such sharp contrast.
Please tell Malaysians - Why is Lim Kit Siang campaigning so fervently for Dyana and NOT for Ramkarpal even though Dyana is doing very well on her own and even though Bukit Gelugor by-election comes first?
Why is LKS moaning about losing Chinese votes when clearly Dyana is gaining popularity? Greedy for more votes against her contenter? What about Bukit Gelugor?
Hey DAP - It is the QUALITY and CALIBRE of candidates that Matters - NOT LEGACY or LOOKS!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT!!!
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