With the party already facing an uphill battle to win the hearts of some 23,000 Malay voters in Teluk Intan, Yammy's admission would most certainly be used as campaign fodder to weaken support of the Chinese community towards DAP.
They may now have to pay for their aggressive attacks against MCA last month when pictures surfaced of the Chinese party's Kajang by-election candidate Datuk Chew Mei Fun with a Perkasa representative.
DAP had gone to town lambasting MCA and Chew for outwardly criticising Perkasa but quietly sitting beside its representative in the BN setting.
Online portal Malaysiakini quoted Yammy as saying today (May 27) that she would officially quit Perkasa despite being an inactive member since 2008.
"I hearby declare I quit Perkasa, if there is going to be so much discussion on my membership," Yammy reportedly said during a press conference with Dyana and DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang at the party's by-election operation centre in Teluk Intan.
Yammy's affiliation with Perkasa has been highlighted by pro-Umno bloggers since last week, based on an initial photograph of her and Dyana flanking Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali at a dinner with Guar Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
Yammy today broke her silence on the issue after repeated queries from the media to her daughter, to which Dyana had initially denied the affiliation.
Perkasa deputy president Datuk Abdul Rahman Bakar on May 21 claimed that Yammy was once appointed to head Perkasa's Women Wing -- the Wiranita Perkasa -- but only held the position for five months.
"She left because she could not commit to the organisation after moving away from Perak," said Abdul Rahman, as quoted by Sinar Harian Online.
Asked for comment the same day, Dyana reportedly said: "My mother was not even in the first AGM of Perkasa ... she did not join Perkasa. She was there with a group of friends and then she was not even at the first AGM (held in March, 2010)."
"She did not even affiliate herself with Perkasa after that," said Dyana, adding that she is also unaware if her mother had held any position in Perkasa.
Photo journalist Minaq Jinggo, who covered Dyana's press conference, in a blog posting on May 25, however, pointed out that he had also covered a Perkasa event at Kelab Sultan Sulaiman on Oct 21, 2008, where both Yammy and Dyana were present to assist with its membership drive.
"I have been following the campaign of this Malay DAP candidate (Dyana) from Day One and I felt cheated by her blatant lie," he said.
Dyana had earlier denied that her mother had links with Perkasa, claiming that to her knowledge there was none.
She had today attributed the situation to a "misunderstanding" which she had clarified with her mother, in response to claims that she was a "liar" for denying the matter when it was first brought to her attention.
"I was not sure whether she had filled in the membership form or not, and if her membership had started after the first annual general meeting.
"I knew she was no longer involved in Perkasa before its first AGM. To me, probably only after the first AGM do they become real members," said Dyana.
Yammy, who is also an Umno member, has been by her daughter's side since Dyana was announced as the DAP candidate against BN's Datuk Mah Siew Keong and she had even openly rebuked former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for criticising her parenting skills.
As a mother, it does not come as a surprise that Yammy is willing to compromise her own political stand for her daughter's future.
It would also be unfair to judge Dyana solely based on Yammy's past associations as how many 27-year-olds (this writer included) can claim to share entirely the "same" beliefs as her mother?
More relevantly, the difference between MCA's Chew being caught on camera with Perkasa and Dyana's is that the Chinese party was actively speaking out against the NGO but for Dyana, it was already established that she and her mother were on different sides of the political spectrum.
Her affiliation to Perkasa is not really a reflection on Dyana's political stand.
Whether or not Yammy was ever a Perkasa member should not have any impact on Dyana but the DAP must also expect a tit-for-tat response to its own outcry against Chew.
Another question that is relevant though is, why the long silence and denial from Dyana in the first place before coming clean on the matter?
Since the first day of campaigning, Dyana has been accompanied by not only her mother but also Lim and other senior DAP leaders who at times were seen to "guide" her answers to the press.
If indeed she had been "guided" to not tell the whole truth from the beginning, then it is clearly a mistake that could cost the DAP its chance to retain the seat.
- The Ant Daily -
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