KLANG: He was a larger-than-life figure. Whenever Tun S. Samy Vellu entered a room, all attention would turn towards him.
Such was the allure the former MIC president and works minister had, which established him as a legend in his own right.
Impeccably dressed, loud, colourful and at times brash, Samy Vellu also exuded the type of flair and attraction many politicians wished they had.
He was also a very brave man who did not fear taking the bull by its horns.
The late Samy Vellu was born to rubber tappers Sanglimuthu and Angamah in Kluang, Johor. Poverty and hardship were something he knew when young.
When he was just 15, he started working in a grocery store and was later transferred to its branch in Kuala Lumpur.
In an interview with Bernama TV in 2010, he said he soon became the cook for the grocery store workers.
He recalled how he was often beaten and bullied by them and how he finally retaliated one day.
He cooked fish curry for both lunch and dinner, but the workers had polished off everything and asked him to cook a fresh pot of fish curry for their night meal.
“Not only that, they slapped me, kicked me and pushed me (down the) stairs. I had bruises but I still kept quiet,” said Samy Vellu.
But he had his revenge. He cooked another pot of fish curry but this time around, added a generous dose of laxatives. His abusers were left suffering a serious bout of diarrhoea.
He then packed up his worldly possessions – two pairs of shirts and pants – and hid until he boarded the first bus at 6.30am to get out of the area.
It was classic Samy Vellu. Never ever cause him harm or become his foe. He could be generous, kind and benevolent but as an enemy, he could be one’s worst nightmare.
After his stint at the grocery store, he worked as a bus conductor briefly 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.
His venture into politics then began. In 1974, he was Sungai Siput MP and five years later, a minister in 1979.
He 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 Cabinet.
He served under three prime ministers, namely Tun Hussein Onn, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi until 2008.
He held several portfolios, but his most meaningful one was as the longest-serving works minister.
As minister, he was famous for many quotes, some of which are rib-ticklingly funny.
At a Construction Industry Development Board event, he chided local contractors as he wanted them to venture outside Malaysia as jobs were getting scarce domestically.
“You orang ingat you orang semua burung kah? Hari hari mesti balik sarang.” (Do you all think that you are birds that have to come back to your nests daily to roost?)
Whenever he was criticised for the toll gates, his favourite retort would be: “Toll naik sikit, marah sama saya. You ingat ini semua toll saya punya bapak punya kah?” (When toll rates rise a little, you all get angry with me. You think these tolls belong to my father?)
In the field of education, Samy Vellu played a major role in establishing the Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED), Tafe College and AIMST University.
Datuk Seri Vell Paari said his father was the man who broke the shackles of the Indian community in education when he started MIED with his partners.
“It was never easy to meet him when I was young as he came back late from his work as a minister, and people would queue up early in the morning to meet him.
“His father died when he was very young and he became the father figure to his siblings as well. If not for him, most of us in the family would not be where we are.
“Due to his services to the community, the condolences have been pouring in.
“The number of people who came to pay their respects shows how many people he touched during his life,” said Vell Paari.
After leaving the Cabinet, Samy Vellu served as Malaysia’s special envoy on infrastructure to South Asia.
He was also a man of many talents – he was a stage actor and a Tamil newsreader for RTM before contesting in the 1974 polls.
His Tamil oratory skills were of high standards and he was also a prolific writer in Tamil. But he also had a good singing voice and enjoyed listening to and singing old Tamil songs.
Whenever journalists called him in the night for comments, the old Tamil classics could be heard in the background.
Samy Vellu loved journalists and journalists loved him back. Everything he said would be newsworthy and relevant information would be covered.
He never evaded questions or avoided journalists and that was one of his very strong points.
Kumaran Rajamoney, a rookie reporter when interviewing Samy Vellu in 2010, recalled how the former minister had made it very easy for him.
“He answered all my questions, and I came back with good stories. The documentary remains a milestone in my career. It is the only documentary that I have directed and produced,” said Kumaran.
“No topic was off-limits and he even answered questions on his famous hairdo. At the end of the documentary, we asked him to sing and he happily did.”
As a family man, Samy Vellu’s pride and joy were his four grandchildren.
“He was the most amazing grandad anyone can ever ask for. I will forever remember his warm smile and hugs. He will truly be missed. I love him so much,” said his eldest granddaughter, Shruthi, 35.
She recalled how her grandfather would buy them their favourite chocolates and biscuits every time he visited.
“I remember sitting on his lap at a concert during primary school. So many happy memories,” said the mother of a three-year-old son Shankara.
His other grandchildren are Arathy, 33, Karthik, 28, and Bhavya, 23.
Rest well, Tun Samy Vellu. You are certainly not easily forgotten, if at all.
