Lim: Karpal, Ramasamy feud resolved

DAP advisers agree that latest episode is over

KUALA LUMPUR: The feud between DAP national chairman Karpal Singh and Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy has been resolved, secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has said.

He said the issue was resolved after a meeting between himself, advisers Lim Kit Siang and Dr Chen Man Hin and Karpal last night.

“We agreed that the latest episode is over,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Last Sunday, Karpal had criticised the party’s disciplinary committee for clearing Dr Ramasamy of accusations that he had breached party discipline last December by staging a demonstration against DAP leaders.

In a press conference, Karpal said the fourman committee, led by its chairman Tan Kok Wai, was unfit to hear the case as it involved Dr Ramasamy, who is also a panel member.

He said the four should have excused themselves from the case.

Karpal and Dr Ramasamy, who is also the DAP deputy secretary-general, went for each other last year when Dr Ramasamy listed himself and three others as candidates for the coming general election.

This infuriated Karpal, who replied that Dr Ramasamy could not decide on the candidature for the general election.

In the ensuing verbal exchanges between the two, Karpal labelled Dr Ramasamy a “warlord”, while the latter responded by calling Karpal a “godfather”.

During the party’s state convention last December, a group of protesters claiming to support Dr Ramasamy held a demonstration, leading to a complaint being filed by 33 members to the disciplinary committee against the Penang deputy chief minister II.

The committee, however, cleared Dr Ramasamy of the charges on March 12.

Lim, who is also Penang chief minister, called on all DAP members to close ranks and stay focused on the coming general elections.

Karpal said he would let the matter rest and considered it to have been accordingly resolved.

Dr Chen said there was bound to be differences of opinion in any party but the feud had been resolved.

“Karpal is a senior leader while dr ramasamy is a junior and there was a misunderstanding between them. This is an internal party matter and it has been cleared,” he said.

Dr Chen said everyone agreed that there should be no washing of the party’s dirty linen in public as it would affect the DAP.