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Ramasamy unimpressed by ex-MIC recruit, wants more from Warisan

Ramasamy unimpressed by ex-MIC recruit, wants more from Warisan
Ramasamy unimpressed by ex-MIC recruit, wants more from Warisan

Penang deputy chief minister (II) P Ramasamy has reacted with indifference to Warisan's recruitment of former MIC youth leader S Sunther, saying he remains unconvinced the party has a brand of multi-racialism superior to DAP or PKR.

Ramasamy said while he still welcomes Warisan's expansion, he is unsure what new elements the party can bring to the table.

"Can Warisan make a difference to politics in the country? Can it be more multiracial and multi-religious than other opposition parties?

"I am not sure anybody including Warisan leaders will be able to answer those questions effectively," said Ramasamy in a post today.

He said one of the points of Warisan's entry into Peninsular Malaysia was that the multi-racialism of Sabah and Sarawak is supposedly more progressive compared to the peninsula.

"It has been announced that some well-known personalities might join the party but I don’t see Indians leaving other political parties en bloc to join Warisan.

"Just because a son of a former MIC leader had joined the Warisan, it is no indication of the Indians' support for Warisan.

"In fact, getting the support of members of ethnic parties does not reflect well on the multi-racialism of Warisan," said Ramasamy.

Sunther is the managing director of Tamil-daily Makkal Osai and also the son of former MIC deputy president Subramaniam Suppiah, who had a long-standing rivalry with ex-MIC strongman S Samy Vellu.

Former MIC youth leader S Sunther
Former MIC youth leader S Sunther

Who are Warisan's partners?

Ramasamy also said Warisan's stance is unclear when it comes to other parties.

"The party is moving around states like Penang, Selangor, Johor, and others in the recruitment drive.

"It is not sure whether Warisan will join forces with other opposition parties like PKR, DAP, and Amanah.

"The fact that Warisan’s focus is more on non-Malays than Malays suggests that the party might be leaving the Malays to the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) and Pejuang," said Ramasamy.

He questioned if the party will clarify its relationship with Pejuang due to the close relationship between Warisan president Shafie Apdal and ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"Perhaps without the latter’s blessing, the former would not have had the confidence to undertake such a task of entering into peninsular politics."

However, Ramasamy said if Shafie had close ties with Mahathir in the past, the future is something different and suggested that association with Mahathir might backfire for Warisan in terms of expecting non-Malay support.