THE “PAAKUMARA TEEVIL TEKUMARA TALAIVAN” BOOK LAUNCHING EVENT

SPEECH BY CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
AT THE “PAAKUMARA TEEVIL TEKUMARA TALAIVAN” BOOK LAUNCHING EVENT

16 FEBRUARY 2019 (4.00 PM)
THE LIGHT HOTEL, SEBERANG JAYA

 

YB Profesor Dr. Ramasamy a/l Palanisamy
Deputy Chief Minister (II) Pulau Pinang

Ladies and gentlemen

Good afternoon.

It gives me great pleasure to be here for the launching of “Paakumara Teevil Tekumara Talaivan - In The Island Of Betel Nut Trees, There Is A Teak Tree Leader” book. The book is a political biography of Profesor Dr. P. Ramasamy, the first Malaysian of Indian origin to be appointed as a Deputy Chief Minister of Penang in Malaysia.

I wish to congratulate the author, Saudara S. Gunalan for completing the book after conducting interviews and examining materials on Prof. Dr. P. Ramasamy’s social and political contributions. As we all know, Saudara Gunalan is an active DAP member and a journalist with Makkal Osai Tamil daily. He has also served as a Seberang Perai Municipal Councilor from 2012 to 2013.

For about 25 years, Prof. Dr. P. Ramasamy took up matters such as wages and living conditions of the working class and the deprivation suffered by other poorer social segments in Malaysia. I have known Prof. Dr. P. Ramasamy since the time he was a political science lecturer in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

He was instrumental in exposing the Selancar Empat incident or the slave labour camp in the early 1980’s where contract workers were exploited by a private contractor in the Felda land settlement in Pahang.

He was also involved in various trade unions and has served as an adviser to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in the setting up of educational programmes for senior trade unionists.

Profesor Ramasamy was also very much involved in the peace building process in countries like Sri Lanka, Aceh in Indonesia, the Republic of Colombia and Mindanao in the Philippines. He played an active role in the Aceh peace process that eventually led to a peace agreement between the Government of Indonesia and Free Acheh Movement (GAM) on August 15, 2015 after more than three decades of civil war.

In 2006, Prof. Ramasamy was appointed as a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore. While at ISEAS, he edited a book on Rising India and its impact on South East Asian nations. During his tenure in ISEAS, he conducted research on the Chola sea voyages.

As we all know, Prof. Ramasamy was selected as the Deputy Chief Minister (II) of Penang after winning the Batu Kawan parliamentary seat and the Perai state seat in 2008. Since then, I have become much more familiar with him when we were involved in numerous committees and took part in the various decision-making stages concerning the state government.

Prof. Dr. P. Ramasamy chairs the Penang State Executive Committees of Economic Planning, Education and Human Resources Development, Science, Technology and Innovation. He is also the Chairman of Penang STEM Sdn Bhd, an organization formed by the State to play a significant role in creating awareness and access to quality Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) opportunities and programmes.

We have entrusted Prof. Ramasamy to oversee the efforts and initiatives through public private partnerships to create human talent and to boost the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for students and youths in Penang.

Prof. Ramasamy is always committed to social justice and has deep concern for the socioeconomic issues that affect the Indian community on matters such as education, employment and cultural rights.

For the past ten years, Prof. Ramasamy in his position as the Chairman of the Penang Hindu Endowments Board (PHEB) and the Penang State Special Committee for Tamil Schools have brought about positive changes for the Indian community and for the betterment of Tamil Education in Penang.

I believe that this book which depicts the political biography of YB. Prof. Dr. P. Ramasamy will inspire the younger generations to come forward and serve Malaysians selflessly, especially those in the marginalized segments.

Let me take this opportunity once again to congratulate S. Gunalan for taking this great effort.

Thank you.