Ramasamy says he was misquoted, yet again

Anonymous_4031: Penang Deputy Chief Minister II (DCM) P Ramasamy should know better than to call for a press conference.

He should know full well that BN-leaning newspapers are hell-bound to create tension in DAP, PAS and PKR; and will twist statements to their bosses' thinking and wishes.

Knowing this fact, why should he fall into the trap again and again? For the sake of his integrity and also that of the party, he should stop calling press conferences on the matter. This is an exercise in futility and serves no purpose other than serving DAP's enemies.

Ong: Rule No 1: Don't talk to the mainstream media (MSM) unless absolutely necessary. If and when there is need for a press release, give it in writing so that if they distort your statement, it will be easier to sue them.

Rule No 2: When you get misreported by the MSM or whatever media, raise the matter immediately, not only after DAP chairperson Karpal Singh blows his top. Of course, I am assuming you and your aides are constantly keeping track of reports in all media, including MSM.

Pronto: Sad to say, DAP veteran leaders do not know that the government-linked MSM is waiting for the opportunity to attack the opposition.

Umno is smart; they too have their internal problems but they don't bring things up in the open unless third parties do so. It's high time DAP stop airing all these internal problems in public unless they want to go back to 2004 when they lost many seats.

This applies to PAS and PKR too. They are too many Trojans in the opposition. Wake up, Pakatan Rakyat.

Yap CS: Look, why is everyone falling into the trap of the MSM? All these MSM are merely doing their masters' bidding.

They are out to cause trouble amongst Pakatan and to 'misreport', 'misunderstand' and give an unfavourable slant to Pakatan representatives' comments, etc. It is a deliberate action - after all, a psych war is being waged out there.

Q..!: Rama, you have the right to voice your grievances but being an elected MP, your responsibility towards the people should be greater than your internal disputes.

Fairnessforall: Ramasamy, you are an idiot. In the first place, why did you call the reporters when you know they are famous for this nonsense. Worse, you had to talk to The Star . I think you are a liar.

After the first incident of you claiming you were misquoted, you should have known better than to talk to reporters. If you have some official matters, make sure the whole interview is recorded and there should be other DAP members (not your cronies) who are there.

Why don't you just shut up and stop taking to the media? You have dug your own grave. You are new in DAP but you are now trying to be a ‘mandore' and fight with those who had built up the party to what it is today.

You have done nothing for the party and you have yet to show your loyalty like Karpal. Learn to respect them instead.

Cala: As a political scientist, Ramasamy has been sincere in his crusade. Read Ramasamy (2009), ‘Ethnicity, Patronage And Legacy': Leadership conflicts in Umno. Read also Lim Teck Ghee, Alberto Gomes, and Azly Rahman's (2009) ‘Multiethnic Malaysia: Past, Present And Future'.

To me, I want both Karpal and Ramasamy to stay in DAP and work as a team at least in theory, if at all in practice it is something beyond the two due to personality clashes.

Karpal is a party stalwart, and while being slightly junior, Ramasamy has earned a reputation in the academia in favour of the poor and the marginalised. In short, both are talents that DAP wants and is in shortage of.

As an actor-agent in politics, Herbert Simon's bounded rationality and opportunism applies to each.

It dictates that each considers firstly his own interest rather than the collective good of the party or the interests of the nation. It is here both Karpal and Ramasamy may consider taking a pause and reconsidering the bigger picture.

Full of Crap: If Karpal Singh, as chairperson of the party, ignored and refused to shake the hands of Ramasamy in public when the later approached him, and he spoke in public - especially to the mainstream papers - against the later without clarifying with him first, it only exposes his poor leadership qualities.

Ramasamy as a professor does not qualify him as a know-all. All the ego and pride would do no good to DAP. It only leads to self-destruction and plays into the hands of BN. He and other DAP leaders ought to avoid the mainstream newspapers.

Manjit Bhatia: Ramasamy should to be more careful with his words. And being a professor, you would think he would know how to string a careful sentence.

Sapphire: Rama, Karpal is laying a trap for you and is being assisted by the press. So please stop talking to the press. We all know the Malaysian press too well and the standards of their reporting. So just ignore the press and get on with your job.

Chandran Sukumaran: Ramasamy, you are newcomer who has been elevated to a high position in DAP. I doubt you have struggled as much for the party as Lim Kit Siang and Karpal.

Your are where you are because of the pressure group Hindraf. You have been given a place to represent the Indians. You have now spoilt it because of your ego.

Either you toe the line or quit as you have lost the respect of those who had voted for you because you advocate racial politics in a multiracial party that is DAP.

Anticommunalist: Ramasamy is the 'Hasan Ali' of the DAP. He knows very well what kind of effect this so-called press conferences will have and yet goes and calls for them.

He is not as innocent as he claims himself to be. Calculated, shrewd, and with pinpoint accuracy he has orchestrated damage to DAP and claims innocence soon after.

Malaysiasakit: Ramasamy, your frequent bouts of verbal diarrhoea is a source of embarrassment for DAP and fuel for the mainstream media to inflict maximum damage. The best thing for you to do is - shut up!

Ksn: Why did the godfather Karpal jump the gun again without checking facts? Rama said he was wrongly quoted in the first incident and the paper concerned corrected itself. The same thing has happened in this new matter and the paper corrected the story.

Now, the legitimate question to ask is: why did the godfather make such an unjustified call for Rama to resign?

Karpal has disgraced himself in his standing in DAP and country too. It looks as though he is after Rama's blood for reasons known only to him.

He should by right resign as chairperson of DAP for his arrogance, lack of discretion, lack of humility, protocol, etc, to save DAP the embarrassment and damage he has caused to the party.

Salleh Nordin: Karpal, who has chosen to accuse DAP members without investigating, is tarnishing the good name of the party set up by Chen Man Hin and Lim Kit Siang.

If he is unhappy or feels threatened, he should just call it quits and resign as party chairman so that someone more capable of handling party matters could take over.

Milosevic: Why not take advantage of what the 21st century has to offer and make statements plain, simple and distortion-free for all to see?

Rama, as a functionary in Penang, try to live up to the high standards Penang has set for itself in the IT sector. You don't need the filter of the old media whose aim is to distort, unless of course it suits your purposes.

Can't a simple website convey faithfully whatever you have to say? Don't trifle with ordinary citizens - say exactly what is on your mind, honestly and plainly.

What citizens are interested in is not rearranging the chairs on the Titanic but getting on a new boat. Are you onboard or not?

So please, no more excuses which are insulting to our intelligence. I don't wanted to be Umno-ed by you.

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