KUALA LUMPUR: Tun S. Samy Vellu's only son, Datuk Seri Vell Paari says that although his father was a leader, he never shirked his family duties.
"It is a very big loss to the family. He was a person who was much orientated to the community; he was one who broke the shackles of the Indian community in education when he started the Maju Institute of Educational Development, together with his partners," said Vell Paari.
He was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the wake of former minister Samy Vellu, who passed away at the age of 86 on Thursday (Sept 15).
"He was a man who bulldozed through when he wanted to get things done, a different breed of politician under the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad era.
"Until he passed away, he dressed himself, he bathed himself and he combed his own hair.
"Even though he had dementia and his memory was quite bad, he would never let anyone dress him. For him, that was his pride," said Vell Paari.
He said even though he was a community leader, he took care of his own family's needs, especially education.
"It was never easy to meet him when I was young, as he came back late when he was a minister and people would queue up early in the morning to meet him.
"His father died when he was very young so he was the father figure to his siblings as well.
"If not for him, the majority of us in the family would not be where we are.
"Due to the services that he has done for the community, the condolences have been pouring in and this shows how he touched the very bottom and the tops of the society.
"The people who came to pay their respects were an eye opener, as it shows how many he touched," said Vell Paari, at the wake of his father at his home in Taman Kaya here.
