GEORGE TOWN: A day after quitting DAP, former three-term Prai assemblyman Dr P. Ramasamy has trained his gun on party secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook.
Loke had said that he had no respect for Ramasamy because the latter had used the party for his personal gains such as power and position.
Loke also said that Ramasamy was insincere in leaving the party.
Ramasamy said Loke could say what he wanted to appease the forces behind the powerful in the DAP.
He said as the number one man of the party, Loke simply lacked the leadership credentials to steer the party away from cronyism and nepotism.
"As far as I am concerned, it is shameful or distasteful on the part of Loke to engage in name calling. He wants to give the impression that he is combative, but sadly lacks courage and fortitude badly.
"He conveniently forgets that he is nothing but a yes-man and the puppet of the dark forces aligned to family-based politicians in the party.
"I really wonder if Loke, with a small mind, can lead the party to great political heights. If he cannot even defend the ethnic, cultural and religious rights of the numerically smaller communities, then what sincerity is he talking about?
"What a pathetic leadership!" he said in his Facebook post.
Yesterday, Ramasamy announced his decision to quit the party.
Elaborating, Ramasamy reiterated that the party was not the same one he admired and joined in 2005 after I retired from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
He also questioned if Loke understood or not that he had to resign from a well paying position in Singapore in 2008 to contest in the parliamentary elections in 2008.
He said prior to leaving Singapore, the director of the institute where he worked was reluctant to accept his resignation letter.
"It is not that I joined the DAP because I didn't have a well-paying job in Singapore.
"Loke has been hardly in the present position for more than a few years, but he behaves like an authoritarian leader in the DAP.
"Ironically, it is the same Loke who refused to get a better deal for the DAP after the last general election even though the party won 40 parliamentary seats.
"Apparently without consultation, he refused to make reasonable demands to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for a better deal for the DAP.
"Having given in to the dominant forces, he has the temerity to chide me for insincerity, riding on the DAP and for twisting facts," he added.
Ramasamy said if Loke was such a democrat, he should perhaps explain to the public as to why the five-men committee headed by him refused to entertain the reasonable request of the Penang DAP state committee in selecting the candidates for the state election.
"Why did this committee simply adhere to the wishes of one or two persons to name the candidates of their choice?
"Yes, by all means, there is a need to introduce new blood, but certainly not tainted blood and parachuting dubious candidates from outside.
"Caretaker Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow did not have any say in the selection of candidates determined by the forces aligned to powerful and entrenched.
"Chow might become the next chief minister, but unfortunately he will be one lame duck. It is a matter of time before he is removed by the forces aligned to one or two powerful persons in the DAP," he said.
Ramasamy said Loke might continue to talk about sincerity to the point of absurdity, but the public and members of the party know that he is not a capable leader of the party.
"DAP, once the political and cultural shield of those against the ethnic and religious extremism, has been reduced to a pitiful state under the leadership of Loke.
"Is there any difference between DAP, MCA and MIC?
"Is there a slow but inexorable move on the part of the DAP to be labelled as 'MCA 2.0'?" he asked.
He said it was a difficult decision, but the decision had to be made.
He said he might be criticised for the decision, but ultimately he decided whether he wanted to prolong his stay in the DAP.
"However, leaving the DAP should not be interpreted as withdrawing my support for the unity government or its political anchor, PH.
"I am still an ardent supporter of Prime Minister Anwar. He knows this for a fact. If given an opportunity, I will give my reasons why I departed from DAP.
"I have no quarrels with the majority of members of DAP as many of them are my comrades. But for reasons that I have explained or not explained, the exit from DAP was inevitable.
"I have no immediate plans as to what I am going to do in the near future. While I don't see the possibility of leaving the larger political world, immediate concerns such as writing my memoirs must be attended to," he said, adding that politics was close to his heart.
"I might or might not join another political party. However, the decision to join or not join a political party will be considered in due course," he said.