INTERVIEW | The recent DAP election saw Ketari state assemblyperson Young Syefura Othman making her debut in the party's top leadership line-up, receiving a total of 991 votes from delegates.
Despite her success, accusations were again thrown at the party for allegedly failing to lose its ‘Chinese chauvinist’ trait.
This was apparently because Syefura was the only Malay who made it to the top 30 candidates with the highest votes which made her eligible for a seat in DAP's Central Executive Committee (CEC).
Speaking to Malaysiakini in an exclusive interview last week, Syefura, 33, adamantly refuted the chauvinist label.
According to her, all leaders elected on March 20 was chosen based on their capabilities and service record instead of their racial background.
Syefura pointed to the fact that Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo received the most votes among all candidates, and even surpassed top leaders who are Chinese.
"Certain quarters like to play with perception against DAP. When they see one Malay candidate elected, they will play with the perception 'why DAP gives place to only one Malay?'
"But if we look at this election, it shows that leaders from Sabah and Sarawak received a good number of support from delegates. We also see how saudara Gobind Singh received the highest number of votes.
"So, if people claim that this is a Chinese party and its Chinese members would only choose among the community, how could Gobind get such huge support? This election actually proves the opposite (to allegations against DAP)," she said.
The party election two weeks ago saw Gobind, a three-term MP, emerging with the most votes at 1,782, followed by Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow (1,641) and Seremban MP Anthony Loke Siew Fook (1,625).
Besides Syefura, there were nine other Malay candidates who were in the running for DAP’s CEC. Among the unsuccessful ones were lawyer Syahredzan Johan, Raub MP Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji, and former Paloh state assemblyperson Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali.
The election results also saw Lanang MP Alice Lau Kiong Yieng from Sarawak and Jannie Lasimbang from Sabah making it into the top 30 list.
'Not a mascot'
Since Syefura joined politics some eight years ago, the former staff nurse said she has faced many challenges from outside, most of which related to being a Malay member of DAP.
The first hurdle she faced was from her own family, who strongly objected to her decision to join the party.
"Actually, it never crossed my mind to join DAP. Even my family members who had been involved with politics then were either with PAS, Umno or PKR - none of them DAP.
"I also did not plan to join politics. But after being involved with the Bersih rally and activism, a friend contacted me on Facebook asking if I am interested in DAP.
"Initially, I told the friend that I would think about it. Because I knew how the Malays see DAP...
"There was this really negative perception of the party, that they even associated it with the communist, that DAP is a chauvinist party that only serves the interest of the Chinese.
"But after my friend contacted me and gave me some insight about the party, it kind of opened my eyes and mind and made me want to know more about DAP.
"So I challenged myself to give it a try and see for myself if all the perceptions painted against DAP are true or otherwise," she said.
Syefura said over the years she spent in politics, she was accused of many things including being a traitor to her race and being used as a mascot by DAP to make it more appealing to the Malays.
"If people say that I am only a mascot for DAP, it would not have taken me eight years to get here (CEC). If I were a DAP mascot, I would have climbed the ranks, maybe in just five months.
"But we did our work. Even if there is a mascot, if the person cannot do his or her job, fails to provide good services (to the people), that person will never progress in DAP."
While she still faces the same issue of negative perception just being a DAP member, the situation has improved a lot over the years, she said.
She said most of the criticism and harassment she faced were on social media, except for one incident during her 2018 campaign in Ketari when a Malay voter verbally told her to leave.
But to Syefura, all the scorn and attacks do not mean much to her compared to her constituents, whom she wants to focus on serving.
"If my constituents can accept me, not being negative towards me, that is good enough for me."
Fresh faces
During the interview, Syefura also spoke about the recent setbacks faced by Pakatan Harapan coalition, which many believe have weakened the party, especially in facing the upcoming 15th general election (GE15).
While agreeing that Harapan saw a decline in people's support since its government fell in 2020, the youth leader still has high hopes to see the coalition rebound.
"We realise that the several last elections showed a drop in support for Harapan. I hope the leadership also sees this and is ready to change, to be more tolerable, and work together to build back Harapan's strength and earn the people's support again. Because we really need all the support we can get from the rakyat in this coming GE15," she said.
She hopes the Harapan leadership can solve all the issues they have before going into GE15 which must be held by July next year.
Internal squabbles would only benefit their rival parties and be detrimental to Harapan's chance to get elected to federal power again, she stressed.
Syefura hopes more young blood are given the opportunity to lead in Harapan and its component parties, especially when the country has allowed youths aged 18 and above the right to vote.
"With Undi18 and automatic voter registration, we need, now more than ever, to have fresh ideas and new faces.
"This is to bring back the confidence of voters, especially the fence-sitters whom I believe are watching us, wanting to see if we are ready to bring changes.
"For DAP, the party is ready and it has been making changes constantly. I hope that Harapan is also ready to do the same thing." - Mkini
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