Karpal is DAP’s boss, says Guan Eng

(The Malaysian Insider) – Lim Guan Eng moved today to cement the DAP’s backing for its chairman, Karpal Singh, insisting that the issue of who is more powerful in the party does not arise.

The DAP secretary-general had declared yesterday the protracted spat between Karpal and P. Ramasamy was resolved despite the Bukit Gelugor MP’s unhappiness with the Penang deputy chief minister II being cleared of any wrongdoing by the party’s disciplinary committee.

“That issue doesn’t arise,” the Penang chief minister told reporters when quizzed over how the party secretary-general could override his chairman.

“The most important thing is Karpal will be leading as chairman for this coming elections. We want every leader to lead, and Karpal will lead as chairman,” the Bagan MP said, adding that the senior lawyer’s willingness to end the dispute showed “the leadership of Karpal.”

Lim had said that Karpal agreed to bury the hatchet after they met with DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang and party advisor Dr Chen Man Hin.

Last Sunday, Karpal reportedly lashed out during a press conference at the party’s disciplinary committee for clearing his arch-nemesis, Ramasamy, of breaching party discipline involving a demonstration against DAP leaders last December.

According to various media reports, Karpal said the four-man committee, led by its chairman Tan Kok Wai, was unfit to hear the case as it involved Ramasamy, who is also a panel member.

The veteran politician said the four should have excused themselves from the case and new members should have been appointed in their place.

Karpal and Ramasamy, who is also a DAP deputy secretary-general, first came to loggerheads last year when the latter purportedly listed himself and three others as candidates for the coming general election.

This riled Karpal, who shot back at Ramasamy for making such a decision when it was not his place to do so.

In the ensuing verbal exchanges between the duo, Karpal labelled Ramasamy a “warlord”, while the latter responded with a “godfather” tag on the former.

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

The committee, however, cleared Ramasamy of the charges on March 12, saying there was no direct evidence to prove his involvement in the protest.