Prof. Dr.
Ramasamy Palanisamy
இராமசாமி பழனிசாமி
Deputy Chief Minister of Penang II
In office
13 March 2008 – 13 August 2023
Serving with Mohd Firdaus Khairuddin (2008–2009) &
Mansor Othman (2009–2013) &
Mohd Rashid Hasnon (2013–2018) &
Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman (2018–2023)
(Deputy Chief Ministers of Penang I)
GovernorAbdul Rahman Abbas
(2008–2021)
Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak
(2021–2023)
Chief MinisterLim Guan Eng
(2008–2018)
Chow Kon Yeow
(2018–2023)
Preceded byAbdul Rashid Abdullah
Succeeded byJagdeep Singh Deo
ConstituencyPerai
Member of the
Penang State Executive Council
(State Economic Planning, Education, Human Resources, Science, Technology and Innovation)
In office
13 March 2008 – 13 August 2023
GovernorAbdul Rahman Abbas
(2008–2021)
Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak
(2021–2023)
Chief MinisterLim Guan Eng
(2008–2018)
Chow Kon Yeow
(2018–2023)
Preceded byToh Kin Woon
ConstituencyPerai
Member of the Malaysian Parliament
for Batu Kawan
In office
8 March 2008 – 5 May 2013
Preceded byHuan Cheng Guan
(BN–GERAKAN)
Succeeded byKasthuriraani Patto (DAP)
Majority9,485 (2008)
Member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly
for Perai
In office
8 March 2008 – 12 August 2023
Preceded byRajapathy Kuppusamy
(BN–MIC)
Succeeded bySundarajoo Somu
(PH–DAP)
Majority5,176 (2008)
7,159 (2013)
9,049 (2018)
Personal details
Born
P. Ramasamy s/o Palanisamy

(1949-05-10) 10 May 1949 (age 74)[1]
Sitiawan, Perak, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia)
CitizenshipMalaysian
Political partyDemocratic Action Party (DAP)
(2005–2023)
United for the Rights of Malaysians Party (URIMAI)
(since 2023)
Other political
affiliations		Pakatan Rakyat (PR)
(2008–2015)
Pakatan Harapan (PH)
(2015–2023)
ResidencePenang
Alma materIndiana University
McGill University
University of Malaya
OccupationPolitician
Websitewww.pramasamy.com

Prof. Dr. P. Ramasamy s/o Palanisamy (Tamil: இராமசாமி பழனிசாமி; born 10 May 1949) is a Malaysian politician who served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Penang II and Member of the Penang State Executive Council (EXCO) in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) state administrations under Chief Ministers Lim Guan Eng and Chow Kon Yeow and Member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly for Perai (MLA) from March 2008 to August 2023. He served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Batu Kawan from March 2008 to May 2013. For most of his political career, he was a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the PH and formerly PR coalitions. His vocal opinions on Zakir Naik, support for the Hindu Nationalism policies in India under Narendra Modi regime and reforms of the civil service in Malaysia due to its Malay dominance have been controversial.

Ramasamy was elected to the Malaysian Parliament and Penang State Legislative Assembly in the 2008 election, defeating former Penang Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon.[2] He became Deputy Chief Minister of Penang after the election, serving under the new Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, making him the first person of Indian origin to hold the post of deputy chief minister in any Malaysian state.[3]

In 2023, Ramasamy left the DAP over differences with party leaders and founded the Indian-focused United for the Rights of Malaysians Party (URIMAI).[4]

Before entering politics, Ramasamy was a professor at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), from which he officially retired in May 2005. He later took up teaching positions in Germany and Singapore.[3]

Background

Ramasamy was born on May 10, 1949. His father Palaniyammal Palanichany and his mother worked in the fields of Malaya in 1920 and migrated from Tamil Nadu. He has six siblings. Ramasamy attended the Anglo-China Primary School in the late 1950s.

He earned his early education in Teluk Intan, Perak, then obtained a First Degree in Journalism in New Zealand then continued his studies in Political Science at Indian University United States (1977) and at master's degree in McGill University, Canada (1980) then obtained a PhD at University of Malaya in 1991. He served as a lecturer from 1981 to 2005 at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in Political Science.

Career

He has served as the University of Singapore's Visiting Professor in Southeast Asian Political Education. From the beginning, he has been involved as an activist working on issues of labor beginning in the 1980s through INSAN (Institute of Social Analysis) Kuala Lumpur.

He has had 25 years of experience as a political science lecturer, who has served as a counselor and security consultant to several international peace efforts such as Acheh, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Colombia. Ramasamy served as an advisor to the Global Labor University International Labour Organization (ILO) 2004.

Political career

Ramasamy is active as an activist who fights for the fate of minorities in Sri Lanka and Acheh Merdeka. The two parties involved in Acheh finally agreed to sign a peace agreement on August 5, 2005. On 26 August 2005 he was fired from UKM for no reason. Afterwards he taught in Germany and Singapore and began to engage in DAP activities.

Started joining DAP officially in September 2005. Writing several books and many articles in local and international journals. He defeated former Chief Minister of Penang Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon for the Batu Kawan parliamentary constituency in the 2008 general election. He was also Penang State Assemblyman N16 Perai. In 2008, the BN government fell to PR as DAP had won 19 seats, PKR 9 seats and PAS only 1 seat. He was appointed Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang and was the first Indian to be elected to the post.

In the exco of the Penang government, he is responsible for state economic planning, education and human resources, science, technology and innovation.

After being dropped as candidate to defend his Perai seat for the 2023 Penang state election, Ramasamy quit DAP on 10 August 2023, citing the actions of certain party leaders as the reason of his party resignation.[5][6]

Controversies

Zakir Naik

On 10 April 2016, P Ramasamy, called prominent Islamic preacher Dr. Zakir Naik as "satan", he wrote in his Facebook post "Let us get ‘satan’ Zakir Naik out of this country!". After severe backlash he removed his posting, apologized and said sorry for causing uneasiness and unhappiness among Muslims in Malaysia.[7]

On 2nd November 2023, the High Court has ordered P Ramasamy to pay RM 1.5 Million in libel to Zakir Naik as the judgement for the same case.[8]

India's Hindu Nationalism policies under Narendra Modi

During October 2019, on the internationally objected event of the military lockdown of Kashmir (region in India known for military excesses) during Jammu and Kashmir reorganization, P Ramasamy criticized[9] the then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir for expressing his concern at the United Nations to restore the human rights situation in Kashmir.[10] On the one year anniversary of Kashmir's special status revocation, Mahathir stated that as he was no longer the premier, he could "speak without restrain and address the Kashmir issue", noting the backlash his previous statements had caused; Offering no apology for his criticism, Mahathir added that "keeping quiet is not an option when all the telltale signs were pointing towards another situation whereby a big and powerful country imposed its will with impunity on a small and defenseless nation."[11][12]

During December 2019, despite global condemnation by many leaders and human rights organizations on India's Citizenship Amendment Act (designed for addressing the bordering Muslim majority countries only), the detention camp deaths due to NRC[13][14] and the deaths during the protests against the Act; P Ramasamy had a series of articles defending the requirement of the Act[15][16] and had TV appearances in Indian media criticizing Mahathir for commenting on the India's Citizenship Amendment Act and the deaths caused (during protests and in detention camp for lack of ancestral documents[13][14]). Hafiz Hassan, had questioned "Is P Ramasamy a state assembly person from Malaysia or an official from India's External Affairs Ministry?" on why he is so apologetic of the citizenship policy of India, despite Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in India would be affected as well.[17]

Election results

Parliament of Malaysia[18][19]
Year Constituency Candidate Votes Pct Opponent(s) Votes Pct Ballots cast Majority Turnout
2008 P046 Batu Kawan, Penang P. Ramasamy (DAP) 23,067 62.94% Koh Tsu Koon (Gerakan) 13,582 37.06% 37,292 9,485 78.71%
Penang State Legislative Assembly[18][19][20][21][22][23][24]
Year Constituency Candidate Votes Pct Opponent(s) Votes Pct Ballots cast Majority Turnout
2008 N16 Perai P. Ramasamy (DAP) 7,668 71.99% Krishnan Letchumanan (MIC) 2,590 24.32% 10,651 5,176 75.14%
Ulaganathan a/l KAP Ramasamy (IND) 311 2.92%
2013 P. Ramasamy (DAP) 10,549 78.29% Krishnan Letchumanan (MIC) 2,590 19.22% 13,474 7,959 83.90%
Muhammad Ridhwan bin Sulaiman (IND) 184 1.37%
2018 P. Ramasamy (DAP) 11,243 82.50% Suresh Muniandy (MIC) 2,194 16.10% 13,819 9,049 81.10%
Patrick Ooi Khar Giap (PFP) 104 0.80%
Samuganathan Muniandy (PRM) 37 0.20%
Asoghan Govindaraju (PAP) 33 0.20%
Kumary Retnam (IND) 23 0.20%

References

  1. ^ "Pakatan Harapan GE14 Candidate". calon.ubah.my.
  2. ^ "Malaysia Decides 2008". The Star. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
  3. ^ a b Kuppusamy, Baradan (20 March 2008). "Dr P. Ramasamy – from critic to Penang No. 2". The Star. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  4. ^ Mok, Opalyn (27 November 2023). "Former Penang deputy chief minister P. Ramasamy forms Indian-based party Urimai". Malay Mail. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  5. ^ TERN CHERN, LO (10 August 2023). "Ramasamy quits DAP". The Star. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  6. ^ Ping, Wang (10 August 2023). "Ramasamy quits DAP, trains guns on 'emperor'". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  7. ^ Reporters, F. M. T. (12 April 2016). "Ramasamy apologises for calling Dr Zakir Naik 'satan'". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  8. ^ Faisal, Asyraf (2 November 2023). "Ramasamy ordered to pay Zakir Naik RM1.5mil for libel". Free Malaysia Today (FMT News). Kuala Lumpur. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  9. ^ Palanisamy, Ramasamy (23 October 2019). "What has Mahathir got against India?". The Malaysian Times. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Malaysia PM Mahathir expresses concern over occupied Kashmir's situation". The Express Tribune. 5 August 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  11. ^ "'No apologies, keeping quiet not an option': Ex-Malaysia PM Mahathir on Kashmir remarks". The Indian Express. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  12. ^ "No apologies over Kashmir conflict comments: Dr M | Daily Express Online – Sabah's Leading News Portal". www.dailyexpress.com.my. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Citizenship and NRC related deaths in Assam". CJP. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  14. ^ a b "28 deaths in Assam's detention camps, minister tells Rajya Sabha". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  15. ^ Palanisamy, Ramasamy (21 December 2019). "Dr M may have misunderstood new Indian citizenship law". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  16. ^ Palanisamy, Ramasamy (27 December 2019). "Dr M backs secular principles only when Muslims are minorities". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  17. ^ Hassan, Hafiz (28 December 2019). "If Mahathir is less right, Ramasamy is no better". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  18. ^ a b "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum Parlimen/Dewan Undangan Negeri". Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 27 May 2010. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
  19. ^ a b "Malaysia General Election". undiinfo Malaysian Election Data. Malaysiakini. Retrieved 5 May 2014. Results only available from the 2004 election.
  20. ^ "KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM 13". Sistem Pengurusan Maklumat Pilihan Raya Umum (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  21. ^ "my undi : Kawasan & Calon-Calon PRU13 : Keputusan PRU13 (Archived copy)". www.myundi.com.my. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  22. ^ "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13". Utusan Malaysia. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  23. ^ "SEMAKAN KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM KE – 14" (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 17 May 2018. Percentage figures based on total turnout.
  24. ^ "The Star Online GE14". The Star. Retrieved 24 May 2018. Percentage figures based on total turnout.

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