M Kayveas, president of the People’s Progressive Party, challenged Lim, secretary-general of the DAP, to dispel racial notions of his party being “a Chinese party” by allowing a Malaysian Indian to hold the reins.
Penang has two deputy chief ministers: Pantai Jerejak assemblyman Rashid Hasnon of PKR is deputy chief minister I, while Prai assemblyman P Ramasamy is deputy chief minister II. Ramasamy is the first ethnic Indian to hold the position.
Kayveas did not respond to FMT’s queries on whether he had a personal preference for Ramasamy over Rashid, and whether his support for Ramasamy was based solely on grounds of ethnicity.
In a statement emailed to FMT, Kayveas said “DAP has been drumming its call against corruption, besieging Barisan Nasional with loads of allegations” and the party had a long history of “screaming for the heads of its opponents at the slightest propaganda hatched from within its barracks”.
Now the leader of the DAP itself was embroiled in an explosive issue where questions of ethics and integrity had been raised.
“Will the Chief Minister of Penang walk the talk by stepping down from his office and let an Indian Malaysian take over until he is cleared of misdeeds?” Kayveas said.
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