Ganesan: I'm the Obama of M'sia

exclusive Barisan Nasional candidate S Ganesan is no quitter. In fact, he thinks of himself as the Obama of Malaysia and strongly believes that he is the paladin of the poor.

Why so? Because he is “not afraid of challenges and drawbacks” which are all part of life.

“I am a self-made man and a role model for so many people. I grew up in an estate and was brought up in a poor family. There were times when we even had to struggle for one day’s meal,” he explained in a 30-minute interview with Malaysiakini.

He also claimed to be the most likeable candidate in the historic 15-way fight for the Bukit Selambau state seat on April 7 because of his motto - “be humble and be simple”.

"Look at everybody as a friend and do what you can to help them (...) be the (source of) motivation for the community,” he explained.

Ganesan also talked about his aspirations for the constituency, the affirmative-action policy and struggles of minority activists, and shared his views on issues affecting the Indian Malaysian community.

He does not expect supporters of the now-banned Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) movement to stand in his way in the by-election. This is partly due to his friendship with some of their leaders, including P Uthayakumar (left), as university students in London.

“I used to be a minicab driver in London and I helped many Indians there because most of them were not well off,” he said, adding that he worked four jobs just to get through his law degree.

“Many of them (Hindraf leaders) are friends of mine. Their struggle has been carried out in a different way... I went through the government. I don't think they will do anything to harm (my campaign) ... they know I am genuine and will do my job,” he said with confidence.

Asked if the resignation of grassroots leader B Kalaivanar (right) from PKR has had an impact on his campaign, Ganesan said: “It shows that many of them are not confident of PKR, and they will reject PKR and vote for BN.”

On the needs of the community in Bukit Selambau, he described these as “pressing” because a large number of them are in the low-income group.

“The challenges here are extraordinary, especially with the (onset of the) economy slowdown. A lot of voters are factory workers in the small- and medium-scale industries. If anything happens, and especially if their working hours are reduced, then obviously their income will be affected.”

Being a member of the BN, he noted, allows him direct access in channeling problems to the federal government.

“I am planning to set up a service centre in the rural areas of Sungai Petani and Bukit Selambau. We will identify the needs of the people and help them through the Social Welfare Department. In urban areas, we will focus on how to cushion the effect of the economic downturn.”

‘Just work hard’

Ganesan, who was the Lunas assemblyperson from 2004 to 2008, said he takes a positive view of the New Economy Policy (now the National Development Policy), because of its aim to eradicate poverty regardless of race.

“Many people fail to (see) that our country runs on a democratic capitalist system. In this system, the clever will become cleverer, the rich will become richer, the lazy will become lazier and the poor will become poorer,” he said.

While the government has allocated priority to the Malay community, it has provided free education to everyone. Therefore, he said, other communities should use it for their advancement.

“You have to be hard-working and you have to be approachable, humble, simple and pleasant - these are the qualities required to survive in a capitalist (economy).

“Also be smart. Who is telling you not to be smart? When opportunity knocks, grab it... if you don't, it is your own fault. The country is not telling you that you cannot accumulate wealth. If you work smart you can earn, and the opportunities (for this) will come.”

Q&A: Extraordinary challenges in Bukit Selambau