By Gunalan Kanda
Prof Dr. RamasamyPalanisamy is currently the Deputy Chief Minister in Penang, a position he was appointed to since 2008 after being victorious in the general election. His appointment drew applauds from people throughout the country as he is the first person of Indian origin to hold the post of deputy chief minster in any Malaysian state. Finally the Indians of Malaysia had something to look forward too. Suddenly, the Indians in Penang have one of their own occupying such an important position in the state.
However, it was a case of short-lived happiness for the Indians in Penang. Prof Ramasamy has stirred more controversies during his tenure so far than the good he has done. During the KampungBuah Pala fiasco, Prof Ramasamy who once uttered ‘over my dead body’ to save the village from being demolished did very little to prevent the latter from happening. When he faced firing for allowing the demolition to occur, he blamed everyone else. Instead of trying to save the Indian heritage village, he was instead forcing the villagers into an illegal deal brokered by the state government. When 9 families refused to sign on the dotted line, Ramasamy blacklisted them from even entering the state government’s office.
In 2012, Ramasamy was also accused to be a stumbling block in a transaction of land title between the Penang state government and Sri VeeraKaliaman temple committee in Penang. Ramasamy refused to recognize and verify documents belonged to the temple committee to facilitate land title transfer. The temple chairman accused Ramasamy of trying to seize a land parcel of the temple. Ramasamydidn’t lift a finger to demand an enquiry to the state authority when a Hindu shrine was demolished in PulauJerejak, Penang in 2013.Ramasamy also kept mum when PAS-led Kedah state demolished Sri Subramaniar Hindu temple in BatuPerkaka. Ramasamy turned a deaf ear when a notice was sent out for the demolition of Sg. Lalang Hindu temple.
Karpal is known for his fiery character in every single corner of the nation but Ramasamy had the cheeks to question Karpal’sintergrity. Seri Delima assemblyman, R.S.N Rayer openly criticized Ramasamy and called him a blatant liar. He blamed Rayer for causing a storm in his dispute with Karpal. He also blamed The Star newspaper for falsely publishing newsabout him making untoward remarks about Karpal. The then DAP national chairman, Karpal called on Ramasamy to quit as Penang’s Deputy Chief Minister for defying DAP’s Central Executive Committee’s (CEC) directives and making negative remarks about DAP’s higher leaders. However, no action was taken against Guan Eng’s puppy.
Of late, pictures of Ramasamy together with de-facto MIC President Datuk Seri G. Palanivel have been circulating in social media. I wonder who is using who now. Is Palani using Ramasamy to render support from the Opposition or is Ramasamy seeking asylum in MIC if he falls out of favour in Pakatan?
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