V. T. Sambanthan
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Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun V. T. Sambanthan |
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one of the founding Fathers of Malaysia
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| 5th President of the Malaysian Indian Congress | |
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In office May 1955 – 30 June 1973 |
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| Preceded by | K. L. Devaser |
| Succeeded by | V. Manickavasagam |
| Member of Parliament for Sungai Siput |
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In office 27 July 1955 – 30 June 1973 |
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| Preceded by | new constituency |
| Succeeded by | Samy Vellu |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
16 June 1919 Sungai Siput, Perak, Federated Malay States, British Malaya |
| Died | 18 May 1979 (aged 59) |
| Political party | Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) |
| Spouse(s) | Toh Puan Umasundari Sambanthan |
| Children | Deva Kunjari |
| Alma mater | Annamalai University |
| Occupation | MIC chairman Minister in the Malaysian cabinet |
| Religion | Hindu |
Tun Thirunyanasambanthan s/o Veerasamy, also known as V.T. Sambanthan, was the fifth President of Malaysian Indian Congress and one of the Founding Fathers of Malaysia along with Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tan Cheng Lock. He was the MIC President from 1955 to 1973, when he was ousted by party members.
Sambanthan was one of the leading Indian leaders who played a prominent role in the independence movement in Malaya. As president of the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC) during this important period of transition, he worked closely with Alliance Party leader Tunku Abdul Rahman and they developed a close personal bond.
He is credited with three important developments in Malaysian political history: the consolidation of the Malayan (now Malaysian) Indian Congress, its transformation into a mass-based party, and its integral role as a partner in the current ruling alliance.
The entry of the MIC into the multi-communal Alliance in 1955 contributed greatly to enhancing the coalition's image as the main representative of the three main communities in Malaya.
The finest hour was achieved on 31 August 1957 when Independence was achieved under the Merdeka Agreement, to which Sambanthan was a signatory.
Sambanthan was born in Sungai Siput in 1919. His father, M.S. Veerasamy, came to Malaya in the 1896, was a pioneer rubber planter in Sungai Siput, Perak and owned several rubber plantations. His siblings are V. Meenachi Sundram, V. Krishnan and V. Saraswathy .
Sambanthan received his early education at Clifford High School in Kuala Kangsar, Perak. A keen sportsman, Sambanthan was an intelligent student who loved to chat and joke.
Sambanthan, with the intention of creating a more cohesive and unified Indian community, organised the Perak United Indian Council in 1953, the same year he was elected Perak MIC chairman.
However, the event that helped catapult Sambanthan to the forefront of MIC politics was a visit by Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, the younger sister of the then Indian prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Sambanthan had befriended her when he was involved with the Indian National Congress while studying at Annamalai University.
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Wikipedia