Yang Berhomat

Malay titles

The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....

 Ramasamy Palinasamy is a Malaysian politician and is currently the Deputy Chief Minister of the state of Penang

Penang

Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...

. He is also a member of the Parliament of Malaysia

Parliament of Malaysia

The Parliament of Malaysia is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The King as the Head of State is the third component of Parliament....

 for the Batu Kawan

Batu Kawan

Batu Kawan is an island with a small town in the area of Penang, Malaysia. The island is situated off Seberang Perai, which is on the mainland. One of the ends of the future Penang Second Bridge is in Batu Kawan...

 constituency, and represents the seat of Perai

Perai

Perai is a main industrial area in Penang, Malaysia. It is situated in Seberang Perai, which is on the mainland....

 in the Penang State Assembly. He is a member of the Democratic Action Party

Democratic Action Party

The Democratic Action Party, or DAP is a secular, multi-racial, social democratic Malaysian political party.The DAP is one of the three major opposition parties in Malaysia, along with the PKR and PAS, that are seen as electable alternatives to the Barisan Nasional coalition of parties...

 (DAP) and is a shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Pakatan Rakyat

Pakatan Rakyat

Pakatan Rakyat or PR is an informal Malaysian political coalition. It currently controls four state governments while in opposition to the ruling Barisan Nasional at the federal level....

 opposition coalition.

Ramasamy was elected to the Malaysian Parliament and Penang State Assembly in the 2008 election

Malaysian general election, 2008

The 12th Malaysian general election was held on March 8, 2008, in accordance with Malaysian laws for national elections, which states that a general election must be held no later than five years subsequent to the previous elections; the previous general election was held in 2004...

, defeating former Penang Chief Minister

Chief Minister of Penang

The Chief Minister of the State of Penang is the head of the executive branch of the government in the Malaysian state of Penang. The Chief Minister is appointed by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri, from the State Legislative Assembly.-List of Chief Ministers:...

 Koh Tsu Koon

Koh Tsu Koon

Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon is a Malaysian politician. He was the Chief Minister of Penang from 1990 to 2008 and is currently a member of the Dewan Negara, the upper house of the Malaysian Parliament...

. He became Deputy Chief Minister of Penang after the election, serving under the new Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng

Lim Guan Eng

Lim Guan Eng is the 4th Chief Minister of the State of Penang and Secretary-General of the Malaysian Democratic Action Party . He is the son of Lim Kit Siang, Leader of the Opposition in the Dewan Rakyat from 1973 to 1999 and 2004 to 2008....

, making him the first Deputy Chief Minister of Penang of Indian origin.

Before entering politics, Ramsamy was a Professor at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

The National University of Malaysia is a public university located in Bangi, Selangor which is about 35 km south of Kuala Lumpur...

, but his employment was terminated in 2005. He later took up teaching positions in Germany and Singapore.

Election results

Year	Parliamentary seat	Votes Obtained	Majority	Ballots Cast	Opponent	Turnout
2008	P46 Batu Kawan, Penang	23,067	9,485	37,289	Koh Tsu Koon Koh Tsu Koon Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon is a Malaysian politician. He was the Chief Minister of Penang from 1990 to 2008 and is currently a member of the Dewan Negara, the upper house of the Malaysian Parliament...  (Barisan Nasional Barisan Nasional Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...  - Gerakan Gerakan Gerakan, meaning movement in Malay, can refer to:*the Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, a Malaysian political party*the Gerakan Pramuka Indonesian Scout movement... )	79%
2008	N16 Perai, Penang State Assembly	7,668	5,176	10,651	Krishnan Letchumanan (Barisan Nasional Barisan Nasional Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...  - MIC)	75%