On Sunday, Gobind, who served as Selangor DAP chairman since 2018, failed to secure one of 15 spots on the party’s state committee, finishing in 16th place with 675 votes.
Former Penang deputy chief minister II P Ramasamy contrasted Gobind’s defeat with Steven Sim’s rise to become Penang DAP chairman in September.
“(Sim) was aligned with the dominant faction,” Ramasamy said in a statement, adding that the results indicate that Penang DAP members “wanted to dent former party chairman Lim Guan Eng’s influence in the state”.
“I reckon a similar thing could have happened in Selangor leading to the ouster of Gobind.”
Ramasamy claimed that “factional” politics exists within DAP and has a bearing on the party’s elections and appointments.
He said this does not necessarily align with “the higher political ideals of democracy (or) fair representation of ethnic groups, women and others”.
The ultimate aim of each faction is to ensure its victory, he said.
Ramasamy also argued that DAP was predominantly a party for the Chinese community, adding that powerful “warlords” control access for non-Chinese candidates, which in effect limits their rise despite their talent.
“(DAP) always seeks to provide an alternative to the MCA,” he said, adding that non-Chinese members can only make the party ranks if they have the support of the “powerful Chinese warlords”.
He pointed to the loss of non-Chinese leaders like Charles Santiago as evidence of this.
“High-calibre non-Chinese leaders have no role in the party and in some instances, the same thing goes for Chinese candidates if they are not aligned with the powerful factional forces in the party,” he said.
Ramasamy said Gobind’s close association with the Lim family, especially through his role as their lawyer, may also have contributed to his lack of grassroots support within Selangor and nationally.
“I think Gobind’s family name – his father is the late Karpal Singh – was not enough to ensure his victory and to be made the chairman of the party in Selangor.
“He was completely defeated to the extent that he could not become a member of the state committee,” he said.