Samy Vellu

In December 2010, he announced his retirement from politics, paving the way for then MIC Deputy President Palanivel Govindasamy to succeed him as the new party president. Former MCA president Ling Liong Sik described Samy Vellu as a man of many talents and with a great sense of humour.

Samy Vellu studied at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Anderson. Positions recorded include Member of the Dewan Rakyat. Distinctions recorded are Knight Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak and Grand Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia.

• Honorific Prefix — Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun • Name — Samy Vellu • Office — Minister of Works • Monarch — Ja'afar Salahuddin Sirajuddin Mizan Zainal Abidin • Term Start — 8 May 1995 • Term End — 18 March 2008 • Prime Minister — Mahathir Mohamad (1995–2003) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (2003–2008) • Deputy — Railey Jeffrey (1995–1999) Mohamed Khaled Nordin (1999–2004) Mohd Zin Mohamed (2004–2008) • Predecessor — Leo Moggie Irok • Successor — Mohd Zin Mohamed • Constituency — Sungai Siput • Monarch1 — Ahmad Shah Iskandar Azlan Shah • Term Start1 — 15 September 1979 • Term End1 — 15 June 1989 • Prime Minister1 — Mahathir Mohamad • Deputy1 — Clarence E. Mansul (1979–1981) Nik Hussein Wan Abdul Rahman (1981–1983) Zainal Abidin Zin (1983–1986) Mustaffa Mohammad (1986–1987) Luhat Wan (1987–1989) • Predecessor1 — Lee San Choon • Successor1 — Leo Moggie Irok • Constituency1 — Sungai Siput • Office2 — Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Posts • Monarch2 — Azlan Shah Ja'afar • Term Start2 — 15 June 1989 • Term End2 — 7 May 1995 • Prime Minister2 — Mahathir Mohamad • Deputy2 — Abdul Ghani Othman (1989–1990) Tajol Rosli Mohd Ghazali (1990–1995) • Predecessor2 — Leo Moggie Irok • Successor2 — Leo Moggie Irok as Minister of Energy, Communications and Multimedia • Constituency2 — Sungai Siput • Office3 — 7th President of the Malaysian Indian Congress • Term Start3 — 12 October 1979 • Term End3 — 6 December 2010 • Deputy3 — Subramaniam Sinniah (1979–2006) Palanivel Govindasamy (2006–2010) • Predecessor3 — V. Manickavasagam • Successor3 — Palanivel Govindasamy • Constituency Mp4 — Sungai Siput • Parliament4 — Malaysian • Term Start4 — 16 September 1974 • Term End4 — 8 March 2008 • Majority4 — 644 (1974) 5,141 (1978) 7,897 (1982) 4,436 (1986) 1,763 (1990) 15,610 (1995) 5,259 (1999) 10,349 (2004) • Predecessor4 — V. T. Sambanthan (BN–MIC) • Successor4 — Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj (PSM) • Birth Name — Samy Vellu s/o Sangalimuthu • Born — 8 March 1936 • Birthplace — Kluang, Johor, British Malaya (now Malaysia) • Died — 15 September 2022 • Place of death — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia • Citizenship — Malaysian • Party — Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) • Other Party — Barisan Nasional (BN) • Occupation — Politician • Occupation — Architect • Spouse — Indrani Samy Vellu • Children — Vell Paari Samy Vellu • Office5 — Faction represented in Dewan Rakyat • Suboffice5 — Barisan Nasional • Subterm5 — 1974–2008

Samy Vellu's political career began at the age of 23, in 1959, when he and Govindaraj joined the Batu Caves MIC branch. After five years, he was elected Selangor MIC committee member and the head of the party. He made headline news by climbing up the Indonesian embassy's flag pole, pulling down the flag and burning it. He was charged in court and fined RM2. He was called Hero Malaysia on the front pages. He was a Member of Parliament for Sungai Siput constituency for eight terms from September 1974 to March 2008. During this time, from 1978 to 1979 he was Deputy Minister of Local Government and Housing. Then from 1979 to 1989 he was Minister of Works. He then served as Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Posts from 1989 to 1995. From 1995 to March 2008 he was the Minister of Works until he lost his parliamentary seat to Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj of the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) who contested on the ticket of the People's Justice Party (PKR) in the March 2008 general election. He was the second longest serving minister in the country during his time, after Rafidah Aziz. Samy Vellu was appointed Malaysia's Special Envoy of Infrastructure to India and Southern Asia, with ministerial rank, since 1 January 2011. The appointment was terminated by the new Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in 2018.

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

A Life. A Legend. A Legacy written by Bernice Narayanan reveals Samy Vellu's achievements and setbacks as well as "behind-the-scenes" events in his almost 50 years of active politics.

Parliament of Malaysia • |Year — |Constituency — Candidate — |Votes — |Pct — Opponent(s) — |Votes — |Pct — |Ballots cast — |Majority — |Turnout • 1974 — P048 Sungei Siput — Samy Vellu (MIC) — 9,045 — 49.09% — | — Patto Perumal (DAP) — 8,401 — 45.59% — 18,529 — 644 — 77.87% • | — Thang Pang Fay (PEKEMAS) — 877 — 4.76% • | — RC Manavarayan (IND) — 103 — 0.56% • |1978 — | — Samy Vellu (MIC) — 12,930 — 62.41% — | — Ngan Siong Hing @ Ngan Siong Eng (DAP) — 7,789 — 37.59% — 21,440 — 5,141 — 76.79% • 1982 — Samy Vellu (MIC) — 14,930 — 64.56% — | — T. Sellapan (DAP) — 7,033 — 30.41% — 23,827 — 7,897 — 73.63% • | — Ahmad Zawawi Ibrahim (PAS) — 1,164 — 5.03% • 1986 — P056 Sungai Siput — Samy Vellu (MIC) — 13,148 — 56.05% — | — Liew Sam Fong (DAP) — 8,712 — 37.14% — 24,566 — 4,436 — 69.32% • Wan Hassan Wan Mahmud (SDP) — 1,597 — 6.81% • 1990 — | — Samy Vellu (MIC) — 14,427 — 53.25% — | — Patto Perumal (DAP) — 12,664 — 46.75% — 28,028 — 1,763 — 69.21% • 1995 — P059 Sungai Siput — Samy Vellu (MIC) — 21,283 — 71.86% — | — Lim Ah Guan @ Lim Soon Guan (DAP) — 5,673 — 19.15% — 30,552 — 15,610 — 67.66% • | — Mohamed Hashim Salim (PAS) — 2,663 — 8.99% • 1999 — Samy Vellu (MIC) — 17,480 — 57.75% — | — Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj (DAP) 1 — 12,221 — 40.38% — 31,165 — 5,259 — 63.62% • Mohamad Asri Othman (MDP) — 565 — 1.87% • 2004 — P062 Sungai Siput — Samy Vellu (MIC) — 19,029 — 62.19% — | — Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj (PKR) 2 — 8,680 — 28.37% — 31,583 — 10,349 — 67.51% • | — Sanmugam Ponmugam Ponnan (DAP) — 2,890 — 9.44% • 2008 — Samy Vellu (MIC) — 14,637 — 44.15% — | — Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj (PKR) 2 — 16,458 — 49.64% — 33,154 — 1,821 — 69.91% • | — Nor Rizan Oon (IND) — 864 — 2.61% Note: 1 & 2 Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj amid contesting under the tickets of DAP in the 1999 election and PKR in the 2004 and 2008 elections, is a member of PSM.

• Jalan Tun Dr S Samy Vellu, a stretch of the Ipoh–Butterworth trunk road in Sungai Siput

Samy Vellu is recorded as having received Knight Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak and Grand Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia. Recognition and collections. Vellu received Knight Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak and Grand Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia.