Ganapathy Ramasamy, known to all his friends and former colleagues simply as Gana, passed away on 6 May, just 16 days short of his 85th birthday.
Born on 22 May 1941 in Ipoh, he had been due to celebrate with family and friends.
Gana’s life was defined by unyielding conviction in the causes he believed in. He was known for his kindness, his humanity, quiet generosity and his concern for those close to him.
Gana never forgot those who had helped him in his younger days. He would often tell me about friends of other faiths and backgrounds who had come to his aid when he needed them most.
No worthy cause was too small for Gana. He always had a special place in his heart for the less fortunate in society.
He was an ardent supporter of social causes and was never swayed by the ethnic and religious divide. His actions were always guided by his moral convictions.
Ethnicity and religion were never a factor whenever Gana made donations. Such was his magnanimity.
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Sometimes he would ask me to suggest a worthy cause he could support. Students from low-income families who struggled at the start of the school year were among the many beneficiaries of his generosity.
I have seldom come across anyone with the kind of humanity that Gana exemplified.
The tributes that have poured in since his passing speak volumes. His daughter Srividhya said the family had been taken aback by the response: “We have had so many testimonials from people over the last two days about how he changed their lives. He was a mentor for so many.”
Gana’s deep concern for social issues led him to join Aliran as a member many years ago. Aliran, founded in Penang in 1977, is one of Malaysia’s oldest multi-ethnic reform movements, dedicated to justice, freedom and solidarity.
Together, we attended an Aliran fundraising dinner in Penang in 2018, and he thoroughly enjoyed the evening, which showcased the social reform group’s enduring commitment to social justice, human rights and democracy.
Over many years, especially the past decade, I have walked an eventful journey with Gana, sometimes on different wavelengths, but always with deep mutual respect and a shared commitment to the causes we believed in, particularly our support for certain political parties.
Gana’s professional life was rooted in labour administration, human resources and industrial relations. A political science graduate from Universiti Sains Malaysia, he also held a postgraduate diploma in labour studies from the Polytechnic of North London.
He first joined the civil service as a labour officer in 1966, having earlier been attached to the Postal Department, and went on to serve over two decades with the Ministry of Human Resources, rising to senior director of labour by 1988.
After retiring from the ministry, he worked with the Malayan Commercial Banks’ Association before serving as personnel manager of a private company in Johor and Sabah.
In later years, he contributed as a consultant in industrial relations and as a technical reviewer for the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
Gana was also the author of Discipline at Work, a practical guide on workplace discipline and industrial relations. In the last two years of his life, he wrote a collection of short stories about his early years, which his family hopes to publish posthumously.
He is survived by his wife, Rajaletchme, and their three children – Srividhya, Ramesh and Subash.
He will long be remembered for his humanity, humility, wisdom and the many lives he touched through his generosity.
Rest well, Gana. You have left an indelible mark on this country and on all who had the privilege of knowing you.
With additional input from Srividhya
The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.
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