PENANG Deputy Chief Minister P. Ramasamy has questioned Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s logic behind appointing a civil society leader as a special officer in charge of Indian affairs. 

“Newly minted deputy prime minister and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi must take the Indian community seriously. 

“He cannot simply appoint an NGO leader to take care of Indian affairs. 

“Not when the NGO leader is seen as extremely obsequious to Umno leaders in the past and present,” said Ramasamy who is also a senior DAP leader. 

He also said that Zahid’s portfolio does not cover Indian affairs, adding that it should be Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim who should be looking into the plight of the Indians. 

“My question is simple: why is the Prime Minister allowing Zahid to make these kinds of ridiculous announcements?  

“The problems faced by Indians and others require a systematic solution by the unity government anchored by the Pakatan Harapan coalition. 

“More than 60 years of the discrimination and marginalisation of Indians must be holistically addressed. 

“Certainly, piecemeal efforts and ad hoc appointments are not the answer to the woes of the Indian community. 

“It is my advice to Zahid that he should focus his attention on his role as the deputy prime minister and the portfolios he is in charge of. 

“He should not stray by making ad hoc appointments in areas that are not within his purview,” he said. 

Ramasamy also said that the new appointment might do more harm than good to the Indian community. 

Zahid announced yesterday that he was naming pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) civil society group leader Ramesh Rao as his special officer in charge of Indian affairs. 

“He will be a special officer to tackle problems faced by Indians throughout the country. 

“It doesn’t matter if you support MIC, PKR, DAP or any of the Friends of BN (parties), what is important is that we must look after all races in this country,” he was reported as saying. 

According to Malaysiakini, Ramesh gained notoriety during the Najib Razak administration when his Pertubuhan Minda dan Sosial Prihatin organisation was among the various groups that would regularly lodge police reports against government critics. 

He was also charged in February last year over a tweet that falsely linked the SRC International trial judge to former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad. 

He previously claimed that the then Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, who ruled that Najib was guilty of seven charges related to the RM42 million SRC International case, was Dr Mahathir’s grandnephew. 

In social media, commentators have also questioned Ramesh’s appointment, with some pointing out that he was declared bankrupt. 

Attempts to contact Ramesh for clarification on this have been unsuccessful. – December 25, 2022.