Indian Diaspora

PM Modi condoles death of Indian origin Malaysian veteran politician Samy Vellu

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Samy Vellu

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the passing away of Tun Dr. S. Samy Vellu, Former Cabinet Minister of Malaysia and the first Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awardee from Malaysia.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;

“Saddened by the passing away of Tun Dr. S. Samy Vellu, Former Cabinet Minister of Malaysia and the first Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awardee from Malaysia. Heartfelt condolences to his family. Om Shanti.”

 


About Samy Vellu

Born on March 8, 1936, Tun Samy Vellu had a very illustrious political career. He held a ministerial position in Malaysia for a long from 1978 to 2008 serving various portfolios including the Ministry of Works, and Ministry of Energy, Telecommunications, and Posts.

He remained the President of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) from October 1979 to December 2010. He held this position for 31 long years. In 2010 he retired from politics after which MIC Deputy President G. Palanivel succeeded him.

Political career

He began his political career at the age of 23 in 1959.

He represented the Sungai Siput constituency from September 1974 to March 2008 for eight terms. He was defeated by Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj of the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) in 2008.

After Rafidah Aziz he was the second longest serving minister in Malaysia. He was also appointed Malaysia’s Special Envoy of Infrastructure to India and Southern Asia, in 2011.

He was of Indian descent, born in Kluang. He was married to Indrani Samy Vellu and had one son. He was a chartered architect and a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and of the Malaysian Institute of Architect.

His biography- “A Life. A Legend. A Legacy” was written by Bernice Narayanan in which she covers his political life in fifty years from his achievements to setbacks. The then Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak launched the book.

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