MASZLEE Malik, the former Education Minister in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under two-time premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has urged the DAP to discipline Penang’s Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy for his “insensitive” comments.
In a tweet, PKR’s Maszlee who failed to defend his Simpang Renggam parliamentary seat during the 15th General Election (GE15) has labelled Ramasamy as the “biggest liability to the unity government” and that DAP should act on him (Ramasamy) “before it’s too late”.
This spat between Maszlee and Ramaasamy erupted following a recent commentary by the Perai state assemblyman who called on the unity government of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to break up the domination of Malays in the civil service.
“The old argument in favour of Malay domination of the civil service to counter-balance the Chinese domination of the economy is no longer valid,” opined Ramasamy. “The Chinese might have a visible presence in the private sector but whether they control the economy is something that needs to be addressed.”
Apparently, such stance has sparked a furore on Twitter with Kami KEADILAN (@kamikeadilan) retaliating over what it perceived Ramasamy calling on” Anwar to break up the Malay monopoly in the public sector”.
“Admin as a resident of IC 07 urged the state government of Penang to break the monopoly of race in the private sector in Penang first. If you can do so, then we’ve a story to tell,” challenged the PKR supporters’ group.
“Another thing you must understand, majority of Malays apply to work for (the) government. You always talk too much la.”
Interestingly, Maszlee’s proposal for DAP to “tone down” Ramasamy is seconded by netizens of all races.
“Yes totally agree. I’m not very sure why there is no action toward him from @dapmalaysia,” berated netizen Saravanan Nagarajan (@saravanan781225). “His statements are very sensitive and we don’t need or welcome such statements. Unity is the core for Malaysia. We will only progress further with unity.”
Netizens are also of the view that Ramasamy should talk in a more multicultural tone as well as understand racial sensitivity.
“His content is bold and raw. Need to soften and sugar-coat and encourage to use multiracial vocabularies in his speech,” observed Jmmalar (@Jmma1ar). “Otherwise, he’s a genuine character. He is similar to some of the earlier generation leadership who was very vocal and direct …”
Some netizens are also labelling Ramasamy as a liability for his statements can offend the Malays in this country ahead of the crucial state elections middle of this year.
“That’s one thing I hate about politicians. They said it as if we Chinese and Indians really requested for it (join civil service),” chastised Celine (@Celine17120516). “We ourselves are not even interested. These are the people who damage the nation’s harmony.”
Last but not least, claims about Penang regularly engages itself in discriminatory practices are being discussed.
According to Zainul Alam Abdul Kadir @zainshaikkadir who stated,
“You (Maszlee) should assist in carrying out an empirical study to see the racial discrimination in Penang private sector hiring and what our beloved DCM Prof (Ramasamy) has done to bring in some sense to the issues. Let the data speak.” – Feb 11, 2023
