Spat gets out of hand

DAP national chairman Karpal Singh has stuck to his stand as he came under fire for questioning publicly the decision of the disciplinary committee to clear deputy secretary-general Dr P. Ramasamy of charges of orchestrating a demonstration against the veteran politician. Secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, meanwhile, said that party matters should be resolved internally.

GEORGE TOWN: DAP national chairman Karpal Singh stood his ground in his stand against the party disciplinary committee which cleared all charges against deputy secretarygeneral Dr P. Ramasamy.

Karpal insisted that he has not tarnished the image of the party, adding: “The complaint I raised is of public interest.”

He told The Star: “The panel should have recused itself from the get-go and have the central executive committee appoint a new panel for this matter. Ramasamy is in the panel of committee members. He is their colleague and peer.

“Can they judge themselves? No!”

Ramasamy was cleared last week of charges that he orchestrated a demonstration against Karpal during the Penang DAP convention in December.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, meanwhile, called on members to adhere to the principle that every opportunity should be given for party matters to be resolved internally.

“This principle should apply to all,” he added.

He said that he, along with other leaders, would try to meet Karpal to talk about the decision of the disciplinary committee.

“I wish to appeal to Karpal to use internal party channels to voice his concerns. It should not be publicised (until it is first discussed internally). This is to avoid giving our opponents advantages to create misinterpretations,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

According to Lim, this was the first time that he had heard of Karpal’s concerns as the national chairman had not discussed them with him.

“I believe it is the sentiment of almost every member for the matter to be resolved (internally),” Lim said.

When contacted, Dr Ramasamy declined comment.

In a statement, MCA national organising secretary Datuk Tee Siew Kiong said the committee’s attempt at resolving the dispute had backfired.

“It is obvious that DAP is trying to cover up its in-fighting so that it will not affect them in the next general election,” Tee said.

In KUALA LUMPUR, MIC Youth praised Karpal for his stand against the decision of the disciplinary committee.

“His statement is a clear indication that the disciplinary committee has a hidden agenda in taking action against those who are critical of the leadership,” MIC Youth chief T. Mohan said in a statement.