KUALA LUMPUR – No stranger to what he says is Barisan Nasional’s (BN) “gutter politics”, PKR’s Sg Buloh hopeful Datuk R. Ramanan is expecting an intense campaign against him.
A former MIC treasurer-general, Ramanan told The Vibes he is well aware that mud will be flung at him. However, he hopes the electorate will see beyond the false accusations and focus only on the facts.
“There is a lot at stake for Umno. I expect a very intense misinformation campaign but that won't matter because I will properly present what I can do for the people of Sg Buloh,” said Ramanan, 41, who comes from one of the country’s most prominent Indian families.
He is the grandson of MIC stalwart Tan Sri Devaki Krishnan, the first woman to hold public office in pre-independence Malaya when she was elected to the then Bangsar Municipal Council in 1952.
His grandfather, P. Krishnan, was a prominent businessman and landowner.
Ramanan’s father is also a mechanical engineer and a pioneer in the palm oil industry. His mother is a qualified medical doctor who served as a senior civil servant.
He requested that his parents’ names be left out of the media because they are not politically inclined.
Ramanan said one of the requirements for all PKR candidates is asset declaration.
A professionally trained engineer, he said he will declare assets to the public, which is also a requirement for PKR.
“I have also not engaged in government contracts or even subcontracted any government deals. With all these facts and figures, there is no need for me to engage in any shenanigans to attain wealth.
“Would my opponents dare to do the same?”
Ramanan’s political critics’ chosen ammunition is a 2014 civil case.
In 2014, he stepped down as MIC treasurer-general following a business dispute with prominent psychiatrist Tan Sri Dr M. Mahadevan that ended in the courts.
He said although it was a civil dispute, the case was getting publicity and he decided to quit so that MIC and BN would not become collateral damage in his personal matters.
“That is the only thing they think they can get me with. A civil case that has been resolved through the right process yet every BN cybertrooper out there is regurgitating this case, painting me as a criminal.”
He added that police reports were lodged against him but the Attorney-General’s Chambers had marked the case as “No Further Action”.
“They have nothing else against me. If they really dare, then attack me on my track record, attack me on my service but this is it, this is all they have… it is quite pathetic actually.”
Being a former BN leader, Ramanan said he is well aware of the coalition’s tactics to create negative perceptions against their opponents.
Since joining PKR following the Sheraton Move back in 2020, he said the same stories have resurfaced.
This was intensified when it was announced he would be contesting the Sg Buloh seat under PKR by its president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on October 28.
He is expected to face his former BN comrade Khairy Jamaluddin.
Ramanan said he wants to first address the negative perception so he can move on to the more important issue of serving his potential constituents in Sg Buloh where he had spent 6 years as a schoolboy.
“I know the area and the people here very well and am pretty much in tune with their frustrations and concerns.
“From congestion issues in Kota Damansara, which is often troubled with continuous development, to youth unemployment, especially in the Malay-majority areas of Paya Jaras.
“At the end of the day, bread and butter issues will trump everything else as people want to hear how you plan to ensure that they can put food on the table.”
Why PKR?
Ramanan said he had joined PKR at the party’s lowest point following the Sheraton Move in 2020 as he appreciates the party’s multicultural roots and strong passion for reform as well as its resilience.
“Which other party can you see Indian, Malay, and Chinese all sitting under one roof? They fight, they bicker but at the end of the day, they sit and work together.”
Ramanan said he was tired of BN and MIC engaging in less than honourable means of politics at the cost of the people’s welfare and race relations.
He added that being on the receiving end of a smear campaign has made him more understanding of Anwar’s political struggle.
“Even back when I was with BN, I was not privy to certain things as they were above my paygrade but when I look at how they slander Datuk Seri Anwar… even in his court cases, his enemies would often twist and turn the court’s judgment to fit their agenda.”
Ramanan said PKR would be best to represent Sg Buloh as the constituency represents the make-up of Malaysian society.
According to GE14 in 2018 statistics, Malays make up 66% of the voting population followed by 22% Chinese and 11% Indian, and 2% others. – The Vibes, November 1, 2022
