I won’t stand again if I fail in Perai, vows Sundarajoo

GEORGE TOWN: He has found himself in the middle of a huge Indian storm in mainland Penang after being named as the Pakatan Harapan candidate for Perai. He has been called a traitor and a backstabber.

His candidacy has seen outgoing Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy’s protege David Marshel resigning from DAP and standing as an Independent there.

Another protege, Satees Muniandy, is standing in the Bagan Dalam seat.

Datuk Seri Sundarajoo Somu (pic), however, remains unruffled by the claims and has no plans to retaliate.

Although considered by some as an outsider who believe he has usurped the seat from Ramasamy, he would only talk about his vision, and not his opponents.

However, he had one promise.

“I am willing to quit after just one term if I do not deliver,” he declared. “I am willing to sign that resignation letter now.”

Rajoo, as he is commonly known, has promised a lot.

His pledges include ending the housing woes of some 300 residences and shops in swampy Kampung Manis, better roads in Prai, ending flash floods in many areas and a healthy lifestyle for his constituency.

Sundarajoo also said he was not power hungry.

He had only good words for Ramasamy, acknowledging that the former deputy chief minister had helped him come to prominence.

“He spotted me when I was doing some good work in Penang. I was helping schools, temples and local communities both on my own and as part of my company’s CSR.

“I am not a newcomer to Penang as many people think. I came to Penang in 2005 while I was with developers S P Setia and worked with the then Gerakan-led state government,” he said.

In 2008, there was a change in the state government – which included Ramasamy’s victory.

“I have worked with Pakatan well, even after I left S P Setia for EcoWorld,” said Sundarajoo, who recently relinquished his position as deputy CEO and deputy president of EcoWorld.

He said that at the age of 61, he felt he could retire from the corporate world and give back to society.

“I have thought about politics for a few years now and I thought now is a good time,” he said.

His is a story of rags to riches.

“I come from a fairly poor family in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. I worked as a driver, an insurance agent and a security guard to fund my own education.

“During the economic crisis of 1988-89, I Iost my job and even worked as a field contractor in a Kuala Selangor estate for RM500 a month. So, I know what it is to be poor.

“I actually started out as a driver for Eco World Development Group chairman Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin."

“Before that I was a security guard at the condominium where he stayed.

“Later, I became a salesman in the company. After my Master’s degree, I made my way up the corporate ladder,” he said.

On his pledges, he said he could get a private developer to help make the squalid 60-year-old Kampung Manis – a 32-acre swampland – into a profitable development while also resettling the residents and traders there.

Another concern is the Teluk Indah flats, reputed to be the dirtiest in the state.

While not thinking beyond the next elections, he had one pledge.

“It may take a few years before the projects are completed, but in one year, the people should be able to see the changes. That, I can promise.”