KUALA LUMPUR – DAP’s Bukit Gasing incumbent, Rajiv Rishyakaran, has extended an olive branch to Muda after he was attacked by members of the youth party.
In a Twitter post today, Muda deputy president Amira Aisya Abd Aziz issued a public apology to Rajiv over “remarks” made by certain members, claiming that such comments “do not reflect” Muda’s beliefs and ideals.
“(The comments) don’t reflect the true meaning of the new politics that Muda champions. I assure you that most of our members who embrace new politics are not happy with the remarks.
“A disciplinary report has been received,” she added, without specifying the party member targeted in the report.
Amira, who is also Johor’s Puteri Wangsa assemblywoman, urged Muda members to “focus on policies and actions” and move away from “politics of personal attacks”.
Responding to her tweet, Rajiv thanked Amira for the apology, saying: “Let’s keep it positive from here on, shall we?”
“Our voters deserve much more than an individualistic campaign. They deserve bright and pragmatic ideas.”
Yesterday, Muda’s Kalyana Rajasekaran Teagarajan, who is vying to oust Rajiv from the Bukit Gasing state seat, garnered backlash from netizens after he appeared to indirectly “body-shame” Rajiv.
The criticism came after Kalyana posted a now-deleted video of him working out in a gym with the caption: “A slightly older and fitter candidate from Muda.”
The candidate’s team member, Leben Siddharth, who is also a member of the party’s central executive committee, had then gone on the defensive against Kalyana’s detractors by pointing to past comments made by Rajiv.
Fellow Muda member Thinesh Raj had also attempted to justify Kalyana’s post and subsequent apology, claiming that Rajiv would have been on the receiving end of harsher remarks if the video had been made by him.
“At least (Kalyana) was decent enough to apologise if it had hurt anybody.
“If it was me, I wouldn’t have hesitated for a second to say, ‘Rajiv you’re a fat f***, get some testosterones, accept reality, and move on,” Thinesh said in a post that has since been taken down. – August 10, 2023