Tun Samy Vellu s/o Sangalimuthu (Tamil: சாமிவேலு சங்கிலிமுத்து, romanized: Cāmivēlu Caṅkilimuttu; 8 March 1936 – 15 September 2022)[1] was a Malaysian politician who served as Minister of Works from June 1983 to June 1989 and again from May 1995 to March 2008, Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Posts from June 1989 to May 1995, Minister of Works and Public Amenities from September 1979 to June 1983 and Member of Parliament (MP) for Sungai Siput from September 1974 to March 2008. He was a member and served as 7th President of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), a component party of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, from October 1979 to December 2010. He is the longest-serving MIC president having held the position for 31 years and one of the longest-serving Cabinet ministers at 29 years. In December 2010, he announced his retirement from politics, paving the way for then MIC Deputy President Palanivel Govindasamy to succeed him as the new party president. [2]
S. Samy Vellu | |
|---|---|
ச. சாமிவேலு | |
 Samy Vellu in 2004 | |
| Minister of Works[a] | |
| In office 8 May 1995 – 18 March 2008 | |
| Monarchs | Ja'afar Salahuddin Sirajuddin Mizan Zainal Abidin |
| Prime Minister | Mahathir Mohamad (1995–2003) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (2003–2008) |
| Deputy | Railey Jeffrey (1995–1999) Mohamed Khaled Nordin (1999–2004) Mohd Zin Mohamed (2004–2008) |
| Preceded by | Leo Moggie Irok |
| Succeeded by | Mohd Zin Mohamed |
| Constituency | Sungai Siput |
| In office 15 September 1979 – 15 June 1989 | |
| Monarchs | Ahmad Shah Iskandar Azlan Shah |
| Prime Minister | Mahathir Mohamad |
| Deputy | Clarence E. Mansul (1979–1981) Nik Hussein Wan Abdul Rahman (1981–1983) Zainal Abidin Zin (1983–1986) Mustaffa Mohammad (1986–1987) Luhat Wan (1987–1989) |
| Preceded by | Lee San Choon |
| Succeeded by | Leo Moggie Irok |
| Constituency | Sungai Siput |
| Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Posts | |
| In office 15 June 1989 – 7 May 1995 | |
| Monarchs | Azlan Shah Ja'afar |
| Prime Minister | Mahathir Mohamad |
| Deputy | Abdul Ghani Othman (1989–1990) Tajol Rosli Mohd Ghazali (1990–1995) |
| Preceded by | Leo Moggie Irok |
| Succeeded by | Leo Moggie Irok as Minister of Energy, Communications and Multimedia |
| Constituency | Sungai Siput |
| 7th President of the Malaysian Indian Congress | |
| In office 12 October 1979 – 6 December 2010 | |
| Deputy | Subramaniam Sinniah (1979–2006) G. Palanivel (2006–2010) |
| Preceded by | V. Manickavasagam |
| Succeeded by | G. Palanivel |
| Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Sungai Siput | |
| In office 16 September 1974 – 8 March 2008 | |
| Preceded by | V. T. Sambanthan (MIC) |
| Succeeded by | Michael Jeyakumar (PSM) |
| Majority | 644 (1974) 5,141 (1978) 7,897 (1982) 4,436 (1986) 1,763 (1990) 15,610 (1995) 5,259 (1999) 10,349 (2004) |
| Faction represented in Dewan Rakyat | |
| 1974–2008 | Barisan Nasional |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Samy Vellu s/o Sangalimuthu 8 March 1936 Kluang, Johor, British Malaya (now Malaysia) |
| Died | 15 September 2022 (aged 86) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Citizenship | Malaysian |
| Political party | Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) |
| Other political affiliations | Barisan Nasional (BN) |
| Spouse | Indrani Samy Vellu |
| Children | Vell Paari Samy Vellu |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Architect |
Former MCA president Ling Liong Sik described Samy Vellu as a man of many talents and with a great sense of humour.[3]
Political career
Samy Vellu's political career began at the age of 23, in 1959, when he and Govindaraj joined the Batu Caves MIC branch. After five years, he was elected Selangor MIC committee member and the head of the party. He made headline news by climbing up the Indonesian embassy's flag pole, pulling down the flag and burning it. He was charged in court and fined RM2. He was called Hero Malaysia on the front pages.
He was a Member of Parliament for Sungai Siput constituency for eight terms from September 1974 to March 2008. During this time, from 1978 to 1979 he was Deputy Minister of Local Government and Housing. Then from 1979 to 1989 he was Minister of Works. He then served as Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Posts from 1989 to 1995. From 1995 to March 2008 he was the Minister of Works until he lost his parliamentary seat to Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj of the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) who contested on the ticket of the People's Justice Party (PKR) in the March 2008 general election.[4][5]
He was the second longest serving minister in the country during his time, after Rafidah Aziz.
Samy Vellu was appointed Malaysia's Special Envoy of Infrastructure to India and Southern Asia, with ministerial rank, since 1 January 2011.[6] The appointment was terminated by the new Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in 2018.[7]
Personal life
Vellu was born in Kluang, Johor, and was of Indian descent. He was married to Indrani Samy Vellu and had one son, Vell Paari.[8] He was a chartered architect and a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and of the Malaysian Institute of Architects.[citation needed]
Biography
A Life. A Legend. A Legacy written by Bernice Narayanan reveals Samy Vellu's achievements and setbacks as well as "behind-the-scenes" events in his almost 50 years of active politics.[9]
Election results
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | P048 Sungei Siput | Samy Vellu (MIC) | 9,045 | 49.09% | Patto Perumal (DAP) | 8,401 | 45.59% | 18,529 | 644 | 77.87% | ||
| Thang Pang Fay (PEKEMAS) | 877 | 4.76% | ||||||||||
| RC Manavarayan (IND) | 103 | 0.56% | ||||||||||
| 1978 | Samy Vellu (MIC) | 12,930 | 62.41% | Ngan Siong Hing @ Ngan Siong Eng (DAP) | 7,789 | 37.59% | N/A | 5,141 | N/A | |||
| 1982 | Samy Vellu (MIC) | 14,930 | 64.56% | T. Sellapan (DAP) | 7,033 | 30.41% | 23,827 | 7,897 | 73.63% | |||
| Ahmad Zawawi Ibrahim (PAS) | 1,164 | 5.03% | ||||||||||
| 1986 | P056 Sungai Siput | Samy Vellu (MIC) | 13,148 | 56.05% | Liew Sam Fong (DAP) | 8,712 | 37.14% | 24,566 | 4,436 | 69.32% | ||
| Wan Hassan Wan Mahmud (SDP) | 1,597 | 6.81% | ||||||||||
| 1990 | Samy Vellu (MIC) | 14,427 | 53.25% | Patto Perumal (DAP) | 12,664 | 46.75% | 28,028 | 1,763 | 69.21% | |||
| 1995 | P059 Sungai Siput | Samy Vellu (MIC) | 21,283 | 71.86% | Lim Ah Guan @ Lim Soon Guan (DAP) | 5,673 | 19.15% | 30,552 | 15,610 | 67.66% | ||
| Mohamed Hashim Salim (PAS) | 2,663 | 8.99% | ||||||||||
| 1999 | Samy Vellu (MIC) | 17,480 | 57.75% | Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj (DAP)1 | 12,221 | 40.38% | 31,165 | 5,259 | 63.62% | |||
| Mohamad Asri Othman (MDP) | 565 | 1.87% | ||||||||||
| 2004 | P062 Sungai Siput | Samy Vellu (MIC) | 19,029 | 62.19% | Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj (PKR)2 | 8,680 | 28.37% | 31,583 | 10,349 | 67.51% | ||
| Sanmugam Ponmugam Ponnan (DAP) | 2,890 | 9.44% | ||||||||||
| 2008 | Samy Vellu (MIC) | 14,637 | 44.15% | Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj (PKR)2 | 16,458 | 49.64% | 33,154 | 1,821 | 69.91% | |||
| Nor Rizan Oon (IND) | 864 | 2.61% | ||||||||||
Note: 1 & 2 Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj amid contesting under the tickets of DAP in the 1999 election and PKR in the 2004 and 2008 elections, is a member of PSM.
Honours
Honours of Malaysia
Malaysia
Grand Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (SSM) – Tun (2017)[12]
Federal Territory (Malaysia)
Grand Knight of the Order of the Territorial Crown (SUMW) – Datuk Seri Utama (2013)[13]
Pahang
Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) – Dato' Sri (2004)[14]
Perak
Commander of the Order of Cura Si Manja Kini (PCM) (1978)[15]
Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Perak State Crown (SPMP) – Dato' Seri (1989)[16]
Johor
Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor (SPMJ) – Dato' (1980)
Sarawak
Knight Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak (PNBS) – Dato Sri (2003)[17]
Selangor
Knight Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor (DPMS) – Dato' (1979)[18]
Places named after him
- Jalan Tun Dr S Samy Vellu, a stretch of the Ipoh–Butterworth trunk road in Sungai Siput[19][20]
Notes
- ^ Minister of Works and Public Amenities (1979–1983)
References
- ^ Former Malaysian minister Samy Vellu dies, aged 86
- ^ Narayanan, Bernice (2010). A Life, a Legend, a Legacy: Dato' Seri S. Samy Vellu. BN Communications. p. 200. ISBN 9789834150563.
- ^ "Samy Vellu a man of many talents and great sense of humour, says Dr Ling". TheStarTV.com. 16 September 2022.
- ^ "Samy Vellu". NRIinternet.com. 22 November 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- ^ Retna, S. (9 March 2008). "End For Samy Vellu's Legacy After Historic Loss at Sg Siput". Bernama. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
- ^ "Samy Vellu Dilantik Duta Khas Infrastruktur Bagi India Dan Asia Pasifik". mStar (in Malay). 12 December 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- ^ Justin Ong (7 July 2018). "Report: Putrajaya axing special envoys, advisers". The Malay Mail. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ "Samy Vellu". www.nriinternet.com. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ^ "PM launches Samy Vellu's 'tell-all' biography". The Star. 10 December 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- ^ "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum Parlimen/Dewan Undangan Negeri" (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ^ "Malaysia General Election". undiinfo Malaysian Election Data. Malaysiakini. Retrieved 4 February 2017. Results only available from the 2004 election.
- ^ "Samy Vellu happy with Govt's recognition of his service". The Star Online. 10 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ "SEMAKAN PENERIMA DARJAH KEBESARAN, BINTANG DAN PINGAT". Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia). Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ "Sultan of Pahang's 74th birthday honours list". The Star Online. 26 October 2004. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ "PCM 1978". pingat.perak.gov.my.
- ^ "SPMP 1989". pingat.perak.gov.my.
- ^ "Mahathir Heads Sarawak Honours". www.thestar.com.my.
- ^ "DPMS 1979". awards.selangor.gov.my. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ^ "Road signs for 'Jalan Samy Vellu' to be up soon". The Star. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "The late Samy Vellu gets name on Kuala Kangsar road". The Star. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.