Now, DAP's Ramasamy joins protest, says 'hidden hands' behind candidates line-up

Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy has questioned the move by DAP to drop him and others from contesting in the coming polls, echoing the claims by a fellow party leader who lashed out at an unnamed "emperor," who he said was dangerously taking the state towards dictatorship.

Ramasamy, a vocal DAP member and three-term assemblyman, also agreed with the view of Bagan Dalam incumbent Satees Muniandy that those who did not make it to the candidate list for the Aug 12 polls were those who supported Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to remain in the state's top post.

He said while he can accept being dropped based on the argument that DAP wanted to bring in younger leaders, that was not the case when the party also axed many others.

"But why axe the other performing excos like Yeoh Soon Hin and Soon Lip Chee, as well as Bagan Dalam assemblyman M Satees? You say it is about rejuvenation. These are young people who are performing," he told the New Straits Times.

"Is it because they are supportive of Chow that they are slashed? How else do you explain the candidates' selection? It is obvious that the selection is based on the nature of politics in Penang DAP. By that, I mean the selection is made due to political alignment."

He said those who are in the camp of the "hidden hands" were all named as candidates.

Yesterday, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke named seven new faces for the state election.

Besides Satees and Ramasamy, DAP women's chief Chong Eng was also among the prominent incumbents who were dropped.

Meanwhile, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng has been included in the line-up to defend his Air Putih seat.

Ramasamy's comments came hours after Satees, during a press conference today, lashed out at an "emperor" whose identity he said was obvious to everyone.

"We have democracy in Penang; we do not need emperors in Penang. I am not in the emperor's camp; I got chopped. I am telling the emperor: you are not the emperor forever," said Satees.

Satees also spoke out against recent warnings about a threat from the "green wave", a reference used by DAP leaders to Perikatan Nasional's (PN) gains in the last general election.

He said the "green wave" is being used to scare Penangites, adding that their alternative was a "Xi Jinping", alluding to the Chinese president who is also the powerful leader of the Communist Party.

"You do not want the 'green wave'; you want a 'Xi Jinping'? In the sense that 'Xi Jinping' is most powerful. You want to use the 'green wave' to bring in the emperor? Let the people be the judge."

Earlier this month, Guan Eng courted controversy over his warning that the "green wave", a phrase used by party leaders to refer to PN's inroads in the elections last year, would harm freedom of worship and other rights of non-Muslims.

The remarks triggered a string of police reports against Lim. The police have since said that an investigation into Lim's speech was nearing completion but have so far not announced if he would be charged.

The former chief minister relinquished his post in 2018 after he was moved to the federal Cabinet as the finance minister.

DAP contested and won all 19 state seats during the 14th general election.