Ramasamy dismisses Prai protest as work of BN agents

It appears that there are forces still trying to undermine Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy.

On Tuesday, an SMS to reporters claimed that about 150 people - including DAP members from Nibong Tebal, Prai and Bagan Dalam - would be demonstrating against the party over its election process, where there was a miscount.

“Protesters - among them supporters of Ramasamy - are demanding the party conduct a re-election in view of a computer glitch affecting the polls results,” the SMS reads.

The SMS came a day after two DAP members in Ladang Paroi lodged reports with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) over what they alleged to be manipulation of the results of the recent DAP leadership elections.

When contacted, Ramasamy, who is also Batu Kawan MP, denied any link to the protest and said it was most likely the work of BN agents.

"They are pro-BN supporters who are masquerading as DAP members to mislead the public. Why must Nibong Tebal members come to Prai to rally? They can do it there," Ramasamy told Malaysiakini .

Ramasamy, who is also Prai assemblyperson, came under fire last year when he was embroiled in a Godfather-Warlord row with DAP chairperson Karpal Singh, the Bukit Gelugor MP.

Linking him to a protest against his own party could be seen as an attempt to undermine him.

‘IPF doing it on behalf of DAP members’

However, as it turned out, it was BN-friendly Indian Progressive Front (IPF) president MV Mathiyalagan with about 20 people, who held a rally at noon yesterday, demanding that DAP hold a re-election.

Mathiyalagan claimed he was asked by DAP members to hold the protest as they were not allowed to express their views within the party.

He criticised both DAP senior adviser Lim Kit Siang and party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng for refusing to call for a re-election.

"There is no democracy in DAP. The party holds an iron fist against the opponents of the top leadership. The Registrar of Societies must investigate," said Mathiyalagan.

"Non-Chinese candidates in the party were not elected or obtained a small number of votes," he added.

Mathiyalagan also claimed that the DAP leaders used their veto power to get their cronies into the top leadership, pushing aside other capable people.

Later, some DAP members approached the protesters and asked them why they were holding the protest.

Batu Kawan DAP vice-chairperson M Ramachandran accused Mathiyalagan of "lying" for claiming that DAP members had asked him to stage the protest.

"He has no right to question the affairs of the DAP. Since he is part of a faction in the IPF, he should put his house in order first before questioning others," Ramachandran said.

Meanwhile, Nibong Tebal DAP chairperson Teoh Seang Hooi told Malaysiakini that he can confirm that no party members from the division had joined the demonstration yesterday.

“We believe it was a political ploy by pro-BN forces to create division among DAP grassroots members in Penang . I urge all members stay united and not to be misled by rumourmongers,” he added.