So, if not Ramasamy, who?

 

What happens when the people of a community want to retain their current representative, but the political party “grandees” have other plans to fill the seats with so-called “new faces” and “young-blood.”

This seems to be the DAP conundrum.

In its flagship state of Penang, there are rumours circulating that some of the old stalwarts are going to be dropped. These are the people who helped shape the policies around a more inclusive state in the last three terms, after years of Barisan Nasional (BN ) rule.

But voters want these accomplished leaders who have served them well to continue.

For instance, P Ramasamy, the combative and straight-shooting Perai assemblyman is still highly preferred by the majority of the Indian population in the state. Earlier this week, about 2,000 of the top Indian thought leaders in Penang gathered to meet the prime minister in Seberang Jaya to unequivocally express the needs of the Malaysian Indian population.

At that event, Ramasamy, who is the caretaker deputy chief minister II, spoke eloquently, addressing the prime minister. He argued that the most displaced community in Malaysia, as a whole, notwithstanding the existence of a small percentage of those in high-paying jobs, are the Malaysian Indians.

He stressed that the community as a whole does not need “handouts” but equal opportunities, especially with education, technical and vocational training. And that most of all, Malaysians of Indian heritage need to be treated with dignity, and not as second- or third-class citizens in their own motherland.

This was music to the ears of the 2,000 Indians at the event, and the prime minister had to acknowledge it.

Perhaps, this is why Ramasamy is still the favourite of the Indian community in Penang, and other parts of Malaysia. Granted, sometimes he is a maverick and speaks his mind, much to the chagrin of his political party, but the Indian community loves him.

The only people against Ramasamy are the former Indian leaders from MIC who want to muscle their way back into mainstream government, and those waiting in the wings to take over the coveted deputy chief minister II post, which has now, through precedent, been reserved for a Malaysian Indian.

Being a Penangite and having spent the last few months establishing a new business here, I have had the opportunity to speak to both Penang Indians, and non-Indians on who should occupy that position of DCM II.

If not Ramasamy himself, the alternative should be someone like Ramasamy. That is the gist of the feedback. Of course, my view is only observational and a mere “dipstick” analysis. But it is telling enough about the “Ramasamy-effect.”

Someone like Ramasamy? Who?

Penangites want a leader who is not tainted by corruption, or business interests. And, especially a leader who is not interested in selling off state land to developers. They want a leader who does not get hauled in and out of court on allegations of corrupt practices.

Yes, Ramasamy is in court regularly. But instead of being charged with corruption, he takes on bigots and racists, and gets sued for defamation.

Penang Indians want a leader whose sole interest is the well-being of the community and not the accumulation of personal wealth for themselves and their family members. They want an Indian leader who will work tirelessly to lift the displaced sections of the Indian community.

Tamils, who form the largest Indian diaspora in Malaysia are known historically as a temple-building race and do not take kindly to their houses of worship being messed around with.

In the three terms that Ramasamy has been the DCM II, not a single temple in the state has been demolished, unlike in other parts of the country. The Tamil community will not forget this.

The Lembaga Wakaf Hindu Pulau Pinang or the Penang Hindu Endowment Board, which looks after temples in the state, was a flailing body when Ramasamy took over its management in 2008. He turned it around, with revenue, particularly from the Thaipusam festivities, being channelled to a professionally managed education and welfare fund for displaced Indians in Penang.

A couple of days ago, local community leaders and 30 Perai-based associations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) urged DAP to retain Ramasamy as the candidate for Perai in the state election. Then the local Perai Umno branch, in a twist of irony, issued a statement that they want Ramasamy to be retained because he has done a grand job even for the Malay community in the constituency.

One of the comments made by a local community leader was “…we don’t want a newcomer, let alone someone who is being imported from outside. But, if the party insists on fielding someone else, we cannot do anything.” Of course, he is right.

Who can forget how the highly-respected former Klang member of parliament Charles Santiago was treated at the last general election (GE15), last year?

Despite community leaders and the various Hokkien Associations in Klang asking DAP to retain Santiago, the party leaders still dropped him unceremoniously. I reckon if he ran as an independent candidate, he would have stood a fighting chance of winning that seat. But Santiago was decent, even if his party did not act in the same way.

It is strange, right? Hardworking and well-respected Malaysian Indian MPs and state assemblymen, especially Tamil leaders who are not “yes-men” or sycophants to the leadership, seem to be dispensable for DAP.

The people who decide that “young blood” is needed, themselves have held seats for multiple terms. But they never drop themselves or their family members from the line-up. In fact, they keep adding their own family members to the line-up.

So, if not Ramasamy, who? Penang Indians want to know before we cast our votes. - FMT

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The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.