Who is she?

Dyana Sofya is a 27-year-old ethnic Malay lawyer who ran as the opposition coalition’s candidate in a parliamentary by-election in Teluk Intan, a town of 60,000 in Perak state in western peninsular Malaysia. She chose to join the secular, multi-cultural Democratic Action Party (DAP) rather than the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO), despite her mother’s decades of work with UMNO.

On May 31, Dyana lost by 238 votes to Mah Siew Keong, leader of the Malaysian People’s Movement Party (Gerakan), a party in the ruling coalition, in a close fight for the Chinese-majority seat. Mah won the seat in 1999 and 2004, but lost to a DAP candidate in 2008.

Although Dyana graduated from University Teknologi Mara (UiTM), the only local university exclusive to Malays, she has argued against race-based education. UMNO heavyweights, including former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, have spoken out against Dyana and called her a traitor, saying she has forgotten what UMNO has done for her.

Why is she in the news?

The pairing of a young Malay Muslim woman and the DAP has sparked a national debate on race and racial politics in Malaysia. Despite Dyana’s appeal, her loss may signal to the DAP that it will need to work harder to convince voters that Malays can represent non-Malay voters and vice versa. The DAP, which has been known for advocating against government policies that favor ethnic Malays, is traditionally made up of ethnic Chinese and Indians. However, the party has fielded Malay candidates in the past and has been working to boost its multiracial image.

What can we expect from her?

Despite her defeat, Dyana’s campaign generated lots of interest and excitement from young Malay Muslims. Dyana will be appointed to the Perak state executive council for youth affairs, where she is expected to continue her political activism and speak out against racial and gender barriers in Malaysian politics.