Ramasamy’s mission impossible
Soon Li Tsin | Apr 5, 08 12:53pm
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/80932
No one understands the phrase ‘mission impossible’ better than Penang deputy chief minister Prof P Ramasamy when he faced off Gerakan powerhouse Dr Koh Tsu Koon on March 8.
The DAP leader narrated his daunting task in last month’s general election when launching a book by academician Dr Ooi Kee Beng, ‘Lost in Transition: Malaysia under Abdullah’, on Thursday.
Ramasamy, who had resigned from his research position with Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies – where Ooi is also based – to contest in Penang, said he was uncertain of his chances.
“I was sure of running, but I was unsure about winning,” the former political science professor conceded to the 80-odd audience. “The party told me that I would be running in Batu Kawan but when it was announced later by Gerakan that the Penang CM himself would contest there, I knew it was over for me,” he recollected.
In late January, Koh had opted to leave Penang after helming the state for 18 years to take up a federal post. To do so, he needed to contest in a parliamentary seat and chose the mixed-race Batu Kawan constituency in the mainland. The seat is made up of 20.5% Malay, Chinese (56.3%) and Indians (22.8%).
“When I found out about that, I knew I was preparing for an early exit. There was no way I can defeat Koh,” said Ramasamy, who wore an informal white long-sleeve shirt and black pants to the book launch. However, the former Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia lecturer nevertheless put up a good fight and campaigned tirelessly.
According to Ramasamy, he did ‘lightning’ ceramah to avoid problems with the police. “I would get on top of a truck with a loud-hailer and give a five to 10-minute ceramah wherever I went. “The response from the people of all races was very encouraging – that kept me going. I had tremendous support from all races, and I wanted to give it my all,” he said.
Ramasamy then related on polling day, he was told that the police Special Branch had reported that Koh would win by 3,000 votes. “But then when the results started coming in and I found I was leading in most polling streams.”
He said the opposition did not detect the ‘political tsunami’ which swept through the electorate. “It was a surprise. It is still a surprise that I have beaten him in all streams except for one, which I lost by one vote,” he mused.
Only three hours of sleep
In the contest, the Perak native bagged 23,067 votes and defeated Koh by a 9,485 majority. DAP also won 19 state seats with its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng taking over as the new Penang CM.
Ramasamy also won in Perai – a state seat under the Batu Kawan constituency – by a 5,176 majority against MIC and an independent candidate.
He created history as the first Indian Malaysian to be a deputy chief minister, when he was tapped by Lim for the post.
“I still haven’t recovered from the elections. Then I had two, three hours of sleep. Now there is just so much work to be done,” said Ramasamy, who took on a new look by shaving his professorial-style beard.
There will be no opportunity for the political scientist to rest as Parliament is beginning on April 28, and he still has his hands full with state issues, especially in helping to revive the island state’s moribund economy.
“These elections show that the nature of our political landscape is changing. I’m sure it will give Kee Beng more information for his third book,” he quipped. Ramasamy was referring to former colleague Ooi’s second book on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at the launch ceremony.