In one of the clearest indications that he would most likely be the Bukit Gelugor candidate, the late Karpal Singh’s third son Ramkarpal said quite confidently, “If all goes well, I must start speaking more in public.”

Ramkarpal said the DAP leadership would most likely reveal the name of the candidate by tomorrow (Wednesday) as the nomination day is very near, on May 12, and whoever is chosen must be prepared for the contest.

He confirmed that his name is certainly on DAP’s shortlist of candidates for the polls, fixed for May 25.

“The party is considering me as I have indicated to the leadership that I am ready for the polls,” Ramkarpal said.

“I have indicated the matter to them so it depends on the party now, the decision is theirs,” he added when met at a memorial for Karpal at the Han Chiang College Hall last night.

During the event, Ramkarpal spoke to the public for the first time on stage since his dad’s death on April 17 due to a tragic road accident along the North-South Expressway near Gua Tempurung, Perak.

Karpal, who would have turned 74 in June, died along with his long-time personal helper, Michael Cornelius, 39.

Asked about the other candidates proposed for the seat, Ramkarpal said he did not know who they were.

“Are there five? I am not sure. But I am certainly on the list,” he said.

State DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow had earlier said that the Penang committee have submitted the names of five candidates - of whom none are elected representatives - to the central executive committee (CEC).

The CEC then set up a special committee to select the candidate which is headed by the party’s acting chairperson Tan Kok Wai, secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and senior leader Lim Kit Siang.

Asked if his sister Sangeet Kaur were among those proposed, Ramkarpal denied it, saying it had been misreported by some press.

Indirectly involved in politics all his life

Meanwhile, Ramkarpal said he has become an official party member this year, that he has been indirectly involved in politics all his life when working closely with his dad, although not many people knew who he was.

“I grew up with my dad who was very much involved in law and politics and the interest in the latter developed along the way,” he said.

On whether his dad had indicated that he contest the parliamentary seat should there be a by-election following his sedition charge, Ramkarpal said that Karpal had spoken about the matter to his brothers and a few others.

Before he died, Karpal was appealing a sedition charge where he had been sentenced to a fine of RM4,000 for allegedly insulting the sultan of Perak over his decision to allow the state to return to BN instead of calling for fresh elections when three Pakatan Rakyat representatives quit their parties and became BN-friendly.

He recalled that on May 4, on the very same ground where he was standing, Karpal had asked him to address the crowd on the eve of the May 5 general elections, where thousands gathered under the rain at the Han Chiang College open field.

“Come to think of it, now I know why he asked me to speak on stage that day,” said Ramkarpal.

“But I spoke about election irregularities and other issues that night,” he added, recalling how he stood under the heavy rain with his dad, who presented a 40-minute speech on his wheelchair in front of some 70,000 people.

On how he would manage his work as he is also a busy lawyer running his father’s legal firm in Kuala Lumpur, Ramkarpal said, “I used to travel between states to handle our cases”.

Despite a wisp of sadness still showing on his face after 18 days of grieving for his dad, Ramkarpal still managed to smile and joke.

Asked if he should be called YB (Yang Berhomat) by now, Ramkarpal merely laughed, saying, “I am only Yang Bercuba ” (trying).

So far, MCA, Parti Cinta Malaysia, Penang Front Party - a coalition of 44 NGOs - and Independent candidate Mohd Yacoob Mohd Noor have expressed their intention to join the Bukit Gelugor race.

In 2013, Karpal won with a thumping majority of 42,000 over votes against MCA’s Ten Beng Yeam, in the constituency that has 80,000 over registered voters.