Samy Vellu: A self-made man who was not one to mince his words

KLANG: Former MIC president and works minister Tun S. Samy Vellu is no more.

The 86-year-old veteran politician breathed his last in his sleep at his home at Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur on Thursday (Sept 15) morning.

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Outspoken and not one to mince his words, Samy Vellu was MIC’s most prolific president and brought many changes to the party.

Born March 8, 1936, in Kluang, Johor, in an estate where both his parents were rubber tappers, Samy Vellu beat the odds that were stacked against him to rise up in life.

Being the eldest in the family, Samy Vellu played a pivotal role in raising his siblings when his mother passed away at quite a young age.

The term "self-made man" best describes Samy Vellu, who initially worked as a bus conductor and a cook before joining an architectural firm as an office boy.

Working his way up, Samy Vellu eventually pursued a degree in architecture and became a chartered architect by profession.

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His venture into politics began when he was in his early 20s in 1959 and by 1967, he was the Selangor MIC secretary.

In 1974, Samy Vellu contested the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat for the first time and won.

A prolific orator, Samy Vellu rose to become a master politician in no time and went on to hold Sungai Siput for eight terms from 1974 to 2008 until he lost the seat to Dr Michael Jeyakumar of Parti Sosialis Malaysia.

Samy Vellu was also the longest-serving MIC president and helmed the party for a whopping 11 terms from 1979 to 2010.

He also holds the record for being one of the longest-serving ministers in the Malaysian Cabinet and was first appointed as a minister in 1979. He held other portfolios, but his most meaningful stint was as the nation’s longest-serving works minister.

ALSO READ: Tributes pour in for the late Samy Vellu

Many credit Samy Vellu for the world-class road and highway system that Malaysia enjoys today.

Samy Vellu was also much liked by journalists because he was one of the easiest ministers to cover. Being a prolific writer himself, Samy Vellu would never be off tangent or stray from the topic or ramble during press conferences and question-and-answer sessions.

Everything he said would be newsworthy and relevant to the topic being covered.

Samy Vellu was also known to have a good sense of humour and it was easy for him to make people crack up with laughter, including journalists covering his events.

Malaysia Nanban associate editor Rajeswary Kanasan was in tears as she recalled how Samy Vellu had encouraged and helped her along in her journalism career.

“He made me somebody and it was because of Tun Samy Vellu that people knew me as a journalist. We had a close rapport and he used to give me many good exclusives over the years," said Rajeswary.

She added that Samy Vellu used to also give her an earful whenever she wrote something that he was not happy with.

“But he would always call up after lambasting me to explain why he was very angry with me,’’ she added.

Rajeswary said Samy Vellu, being an excellent writer in the Tamil language, also used to coach her on how to best write a good news article.

“I owe him a lot for the kindness he showed me throughout my career," she said.

Samy Vellu leaves behind his widow Toh Puan R. Indrani, son Datuk Seri S. Vell Paari, daughter S. Mangayerkarasi, daughter-in-law Datin Seri Shaila Nair, four grandchildren and a great-grandson.

Those who want to pay their respects to Samy Vellu can do so from 2pm Thursday at his residence No 19, Lengkongan Vethavanam, Taman Kaya off Jalan Ipoh, 51100, Kuala Lumpur.

His remains will leave his residence for the Cheras Hindu Crematorium at 3pm on Friday (Sept 16).

Details: Jeya (012-255 0064), Raja (012-209 5225) and Tan Sri Puvan (019-217 7662).