Samy Vellu

Minister of Works^[a]In office
8 May 1995 – 18 March 2008MonarchsJa'afar
Salahuddin
Sirajuddin
Mizan Zainal AbidinPrime MinisterMahathir Mohamad
Abdullah Ahmad BadawiDeputyRailey Jeffrey (1995–1999)
Mohamed Khaled Nordin (1999–2004)
Mohd Zin Mohamed (2004–2008)Preceded byLeo Moggie IrokSucceeded byMohd Zin MohamedConstituencySungai SiputIn office
15 September 1979 – 15 June 1989MonarchsAhmad Shah
Iskandar
Azlan ShahPrime MinisterHussein Onn
Mahathir MohamadDeputyClarence 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 byLee San ChoonSucceeded byLeo Moggie IrokConstituencySungai SiputMinister of Energy, Telecommunications and PostsIn office
15 June 1989 – 7 May 1995MonarchsAzlan Shah
Ja'afarPrime MinisterMahathir MohamadDeputyAbdul Ghani Othman (1989–1990)
Tajol Rosli Mohd Ghazali (1990–1995)Preceded byLeo Moggie IrokSucceeded byLeo Moggie Irok as Minister of Energy, Communications and MultimediaConstituencySungai Siput7th President of Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC)In office
12 October 1979 – 6 December 2010DeputySubramaniam Sinniah (1979-2006)
G. Palanivel (2006-2010)Preceded byV. ManickavasagamSucceeded byG. PalanivelMember of the Malaysian Parliament
for Sungai SiputIn office
16 September 1974 – 8 March 2008Preceded byV. T. Sambanthan (MIC)Succeeded byMichael Jeyakumar (PSM)Majority644 (1974)
5,141 (1978)
7,897 (1982)
4,436 (1986)
1,763 (1990)
15,610 (1995)
5,259 (1999)
10,349 (2004) Personal detailsBorn
(1936-03-08)8 March 1936
Kluang, Johor, British Malaya (now Malaysia)Died15 September 2022(2022-09-15) (aged 86)
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaCitizenshipMalaysianPolitical partyMalaysian Indian Congress (MIC)Other political
affiliationsBarisan Nasional (BN)
Perikatan Nasional (PN)SpouseIndrani Samy VelluChildren1OccupationPoliticianProfessionArchitect

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 by holding the position for 31 years and one of the longest-serving Cabinet ministers by being in the Cabinet for 29 years. In December 2010, he announced his retirement from politics, paving the way for then MIC Deputy President G. Palanivel to succeed him as the new party president. ^[2]

Former MCA president Ling Liong Sik described Samy Vellu as a man of many talents and 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 is of Indian descent. He was married to Indrani Samy Vellu and had one son.^[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

Parliament of Malaysia^[10][11]

Year	Constituency	Candidate		Votes	Pct	Opponent(s)		Votes	Pct	Ballots cast	Majority	Turnout
1974	P048 Sungei Siput, Perak		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, Perak		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, Perak		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, Perak		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

References

External links