Embattled Penang DAP deputy chief P Ramasamy has refuted accusations that he is a johnny-come-lately to the party as his involvement dates back to 1981, when he was still an academician.

Ramasamy, who is deputy chief minister II, said since his involvement, he has worked with top DAP leaders such as V David and P Patto while being a university lecturer.

He said he finally joined DAP in August 2005, after he was terminated from his job due to his political involvement.

azlan “I did not parachute into DAP before coming to Penang,” said Ramasamy, referring to DAP national chairperson Karpal Singh who asked at the recent party state convention, “Who is Ramasamy?”

“No one (in the university) was with the DAP except me. Those found to be so could be sacked. I received 10 warning letters before asked to show cause by the education minister for hosting a talk with Lim Guan Eng,” he added.

Ramasamy, whose case has been referred to the disciplinary board, told this to the delegates at the DAP state convention in Penang yesterday, during his winding-up speech.

He had also offered to quit over the remark if the disciplinary board found him guilty and the central executive committee asked him to.

He was referring to Karpal’s public rebuke and demand that he apologises over his 'godfather' remark during the party’s convention yesterday.

The remark was Ramasamy’s response to Karpal calling him a warlord for promising and announcing seats for his cronies, which Ramasamy has vehemently denied.

When he got the show-cause from the university, Ramasamy said, its vice-chancellor (VC) took him aside and requested him to issue an apology via a letter.

The VC, he added, did not want him to be sacked, and had told him he would reinstate Ramasamy when he made the apology.

“Over my dead body,” Ramasamy had said to the VC, and that had left him jobless, as no university, even private ones, had dared to offer him a job after this episode.

“Just as Karpal had once said those words before,” he added, referring to Karpal’s ‘over my dead body’ remark in 1990 on PAS’ insistence in setting-up an Islamic state.

Karpal had issued a public apology in Penang for the remark during the 1999 general election.

Ramasamy said he then had to borrow heavily from the banks to finance his children’s education as his wife was a homemaker, but finally got employed in Singapore.

‘I did not know where Batu Kawan was’

“When the 2008 polls came, Guan Eng had suggested I contest in Penang. I had just got a job in Singapore and who knew there would be a (political) tsunami,” he said.

“The university director had said he hoped I would not go. At that time, I had a decent salary and a consultancy on Sri Lanka issues,” he added.

But he decided to leave and contest with the DAP after all, and when Guan Eng told him to take on the Batu Kawan parliamentary seat, he said, “I did not even know where it was”.

He wondered if he could have won the Batu Kawan seat as former chief minister Koh Tsu Koon had gone there to contest.

He was also offered the Prai state seat to contest, although he did not want it, and had won both.

Ramasamy said he has great respect for DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, Karpal, Guan Eng, David and Patto, which was the reason why he joined DAP.

On what transpired recently, Ramasamy left it to the  DAP delegates to judge.

He related that when he saw the ‘warlord’ report in the newspapers, he could not believe that Karpal  had said this.

“He could have called me about it or scolded me, never mind. But Karpal did not return my calls. I was the aggrieved party. I was accused and no right of appeal for people to hear what I have to say,” he lamented.

Ramasamy admitted making the statement that  there should be no “warlords and godfathers” in the DAP.

“I don’t deny it or say the press had misquoted me. But following the remark, things went out of control,” he added.

NONE He said after a press conference by Seri Delima assemblyperson RSN Rayer ( right ), which focused on him begging for the DCM II post for himself, the issue had been “twisted and retwisted” by the Tamil papers to raise the sentiments of the Indian community.

The issue now has gone beyond him as it is now an Indian community issue.

He does not think that Rayer meant to insult the Indian community but it turned out to be that way in the newspapers, Ramasamy said.

He stressed that it was not a problem to apologise to Karpal or even to a child.

Ramasamy said after this, he had promised Kit Siang that he would not talk to the press any longer but it seems that Rayer did not follow suit.

“I do not know whether Kit Siang spoke to him or not. Karpal lashed out at me, no problem, he is like a big brother to me. In fact I told his son Jagdeep Singh that Karpal is my political guru,” he added.

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