He said although the former prime minister might have meant well in using the word “keling”, which is considered derogatory to Indians, there should be zero-tolerance for words that can hurt people of different races in the country.
Ramasamy, who is Penang’s second deputy chief minister, said this new controversy was unfortunate as PH was entering a crucial phase before the 14th general election (GE14).
“I am not saying this is going to affect our (PH’s) standing. We hardly hear such remarks being uttered before an election,” he said.
“Our support base is increasing day by day, and I think Dr Mahathir has been doing a good job, with the Malays being offered an alternative leadership.
“I know the word was not directed at Indians, but don’t go and say all these things. Do not resort to clichés or words which do not mean anything but which just insults others.
“Just as we are trying to forget the wrongs of Dr Mahathir, when he was in power, he suddenly comes up to use this word,” Ramasamy, who is a DAP central executive committee member, told FMT.
Mahathir had used the word when criticising the Election Commission at a fund-raising event in Johor on April 7.
He was reported to have said: “I want to use a ‘keling’ word. The ‘keling’ say podah (get lost)”.
In 2016, a viral 25-second video clip showed Mahathir using the same word in disparaging Prime Minister Najib Razak’s handling of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist network.
He had then sarcastically said: “On Najib fighting IS, we can see Najib holding a rifle to fight IS… What do the keling say? ‘Podah’. All lies.”
The clip was believed to have been recorded at a “Save Malaysia” event in Langkawi which took place in May that year.
Ramasamy said the term is a misnomer in referring to those of Indian descent as not all Indians are from the ancient kingdom of Kalinga, which is where the word is believed to have been derived from.
He said Mahathir should not only refrain from uttering insulting terms that affect Indians, but also those that are offensive to Chinese and other minorities like the Bugis.
Mahathir, 93, was alleged to have sullied Najib’s Indonesian ancestry by comparing him to Bugis pirates in two political speeches recently.
Ramasamy said Mahathir seemed to have not gotten rid of his “bad habits” from the past.
“The Indians are definitely offended as the word is mostly used as a derogatory term. I am sad for he has been doing extremely well as Pakatan Harapan chairman.
“Mahathir has also asked all to embrace Indians and even admitted that they have been neglected, to endear himself to the Indians,” he said.
On MIC treasurer-general S Vell Paari’s insinuation that Ramasamy had likely approved Mahathir’s use of the word “keling”, Ramasamy said that same question should be posed to his father S Samy Vellu, the former MIC president and minister under Mahathir’s 22-year tenure as prime minister.
“I am against the use of such words. The question that begs an answer is: What was Vell Paari’s father doing for 22 years?”
Incidentally, Ramasamy had only yesterday come out to defend Mahathir against MIC’s criticisms that the former PM had not helped Indians in the past, saying Mahathir was now leading the effort to do so under PH.
Bernama reported today that the Makkal Sakti Malaysia movement today lodged four police reports in Butterworth against Mahathir for uttering the derogatory term “keling”.
Its president, RS Thanenthiran, said the term smacked of racism and should not have been uttered by a former leader who was fully aware of the multiracial nature of the country’s population.
“He uttered the word two days after the launch of Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto and until today, he has not apologised to the Indian community.
“This has really hurt our feelings,” he said, urging Mahathir to make a public apology and hoping police would take action.