Gunasekaren Palasamy

Summary

Gunasekaren a/l Palasamy is a long-serving DAP politician and Negeri Sembilan State Assemblyman for Seremban Jaya, a seat he has held since March 2008. He serves concurrently as Deputy Chairman of DAP Negeri Sembilan, making him one of the party's most senior state-level figures in the state. He was acquitted of LTTE-related charges in February 2020 after the prosecution withdrew the case, and he was returned to the Seremban Jaya seat at the 2023 Negeri Sembilan State Election.

Biography

Gunasekaren a/l Palasamy is a Malaysian politician who has served as a Member of the Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Seremban Jaya since March 2008 [1]. He is a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of Pakatan Harapan (PH), formerly Pakatan Rakyat (PR) [1]. As of October 2019, veteran DAP leader Lim Kit Siang noted that Gunasekaren had been in the party for 37 years, placing his DAP membership from approximately the early 1980s, and that he had stood in six elections with three victories up to that point [2]. He has served as Deputy Chairman of DAP Negeri Sembilan, a position he was re-elected to at the 2021 state convention and retained at the 2024 state convention [3]. Gunasekaren stood in the 14th General Election (GE14) in May 2018 under the Pakatan Harapan banner at Senawang, winning with 66.9% of the vote [4]. Following the redelineation of constituencies, the Seremban Jaya seat was formally introduced at GE14/2018. He subsequently retained the Seremban Jaya seat at the 2023 Negeri Sembilan State Election held on 12 August 2023, with PH officially winning the seat [3]. In October 2019, Gunasekaren was arrested and charged under SOSMA in connection with alleged LTTE links; the Kuala Lumpur High Court subsequently acquitted and discharged him on 24 February 2020, after the Attorney General's Chambers instructed the prosecution to discontinue proceedings [5].

Known for

Gunasekaren Palasamy is known as a long-serving DAP assemblyman in Negeri Sembilan, having held the Seremban Jaya state seat and its predecessor Senawang seat since March 2008 [1]. He serves as Deputy Chairman of DAP Negeri Sembilan and is one of the party's most senior elected representatives in the state [3]. He drew significant public attention in 2019–2020 when he was charged under SOSMA over alleged LTTE links, before being acquitted and discharged after the prosecution withdrew the case [5].

Political positions

No specific policy positions or stances by Gunasekaren Palasamy on major legislative issues were found in the sourced materials. He has consistently stood under the DAP and Pakatan Harapan banners, aligning with the coalition's centre-left, social democratic platform [1]. His party leadership noted his decades-long commitment to peaceful and democratic means of political change [2].

Political career

1. March 2008First elected as Member of the Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly, beginning a continuous tenure representing Seremban Jaya (and its predecessor seat).⛓
2. May 2018Returned to the state assembly at GE14 under the Pakatan Harapan banner, winning with 66.9% of the vote (13,760 votes) at the Senawang/Seremban Jaya constituency.⛓
3. April 2021Re-elected as Deputy Chairman of DAP Negeri Sembilan at the state party convention, having obtained 437 votes.⛓
4. 12 August 2023Retained the Seremban Jaya state seat under the PH-DAP banner at the 2023 Negeri Sembilan State Election.⛓
5. September 2024Retained the post of DAP Negeri Sembilan state deputy chairperson at the party's state convention.⛓

Election history

• 2023Seremban JayaWon52.9%⛓
• 2018Seremban JayaWon66.9%⛓
• 2013SenawangWon⛓
• 2008Senawang (predecessor to Seremban Jaya)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentDAP Negeri Sembilan confirmed Gunasekaren as a retained candidate for the 2023 state election, with party secretary-general Anthony Loke citing the incumbent's experience in the constituency as justification.⛓
• VerifiedFactsThe Kuala Lumpur High Court acquitted and discharged Gunasekaren on two LTTE-related charges on 24 February 2020, after the prosecution discontinued proceedings on instruction from the Attorney General's Chambers.⛓
• OppositionMalaysiakini reported that Lim Kit Siang, visiting Gunasekaren's family after the 2019 arrest, stated that Gunasekaren had been in the party for 37 years and had always supported the stance that change must be through peaceful and democratic means.⛓

Notable legal history

In October 2019, Gunasekaren was arrested and subsequently charged with supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) terrorist group, including via a Facebook account. On 24 February 2020, the Kuala Lumpur High Court acquitted and discharged him on two charges after the Attorney General's Chambers instructed the prosecution to discontinue the case. According to Malaysiakini, judges Muhammad Jamil Hussin and Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali made the ruling after the deputy public prosecutor informed the court that the prosecution had received instruction from the Attorney General's Chambers to discontinue proceedings. The Star confirmed the same outcome, reporting the acquittal and discharge on the same date. (Sources: malaysiakini.com/news/512032; thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/02/24/ltte-case-seremban-jaya-rep-acquitted)