Ramasamy quits DAP, trains guns on 'emperor'
DAP veteran P Ramasamy has resigned from the party.
The caretaker Penang deputy chief minister cited unhappiness with the party, in particular, due to an “emperor” who he said was the cause of a crisis in Penang DAP.
Ramasamy - who was dropped as a candidate for this state elections - said...
(Editor's Note: This article earlier stated that P Ramasamy did not learn that he was dropped from Anthony Loke. This has been rectified. The error is regretted.)
DAP veteran P Ramasamy has resigned from the party.
The caretaker Penang deputy chief minister cited unhappiness with the party, in particular, due to an “emperor” who he said was the cause of a crisis in Penang DAP.
Ramasamy - who was dropped as a candidate for this state election - said he thought long and hard about his decision before sending his resignation letter to DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke and Penang DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow.
He announced this during a press conference at the operations centre of David Marshel - a former DAP leader who is running as an independent candidate for the Perai state seat.
In reading out his statement, Ramasamy reiterated claims that a political purge was carried out in Penang DAP, resulting in young candidates such as Yeoh Soon Hin, Soon Lip Chee, and Satees Muniandy being dropped.
This, he said, was an attempt to sideline those who were perceived to be supporting caretaker chief minister Chow.
He said an “emperor”, whom the DAP national leaders appeared to rely on, was the cause of this, and that a list of candidates furnished by Chow was rejected.
“Chow may be reappointed as chief minister but he does not have strong support in the DAP candidate lineup.
“There is a possibility Chow may not serve a full term as chief minister, even though he was given assurances by the national leadership,” Ramasamy added.
The incumbent Perai assemblyperson said he will continue to support Chow and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership.
‘Join us to take down emperor’
Ramasamy said Satees, who is also contesting as an independent, and David hold the same stance.
Satees - who is defending his Bagan Dalam seat - called on DAP supporters to back them on their quest to take down the ‘emperor’.
“We want DAP members and supporters to join us in taking down the emperor’s dynasty, and bring the party and Penang on the right path.”
Meanwhile, Ramasamy also reiterated his unhappiness over how DAP handled their decision to drop him.
While he accepted the decision, he was disappointed by the lack of courtesy by his former student Loke, who did not inform him of the decision earlier.
Instead, Ramasamy said Loke and Perak DAP chief Nga Kor Ming only deliver the bad news on the day DAP announced its candidates.
He also claimed the Indian community was upset with DAP over the decision to drop him, and that others would also quit the party soon.
Asked what his next step would be and whether he would form a new party or join a different one, Ramasamy replied that he has not yet decided on that.
If he is still with the party, they may name a road or a ferry in Perai in his name like Jalan Karpal Singh! Now they should name a toilet in Perai in his name! Ungrateful!