Late Tun Sambanthan’s wife Uma dies

PETALING JAYA: Toh Puan Uma Sambanthan (pic), wife of the late Tun V.T. Sambanthan, has died. She was 90.

Sambanthan was the fifth president of the MIC and one of the founding fathers along with Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Tan Cheng Lock.

Uma, who passed away yesterday, was an activist, social worker and a leading figure of the cooperative movement in Malaysia.

She was well known for her charity work and as an advocate for women’s issues and rights.

She was one of the founders of the National Council of Women’s Organisations and its president at one stage.

She was also the chairman and director of the National Land Finance Cooperative Society (NLFC) from 1980 to 1995 and its president in 1995 and 1996.

The NLFC was established by her husband to prevent the fragmentation of estates in the early 1960s.

Sambanthan was the MIC president from 1955 to 1973.

He also held various ministerial portfolios: Labour (1955-57), Health (1957-59), Works, Posts and Telecommunications (1959-71) and National Unity (1972-74).

Sambanthan was acting prime minister for a day in August 1973 when Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein was at a conference in Canada and Deputy Prime Minister Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman died.