Arul Suppiah : Former National Cricketer who also played for England

 Arul Suppiah : Former National Cricketer

 The youngest player to play for Malaysia

Arul Vivasvan Suppiah (born 30 August 1983) is a former English/Malaysian cricketer.A right-handed batsman and left-arm orthodox spin bowler, he has played for the Malaysia national cricket team since 1999, and county cricket in England for Somerset.

He is the youngest player to play for Malaysia, and has played for England at Under-14, Under-15, Under-16 and Under-18 level. He has also represented England Under-16s at hockey, and played badminton for his school.His elder brother Rohan also plays for Malaysia. On 4 July 2013, Arul Suppiah retired from professional cricket with immediate effect at the age of 29 due to serious injuries in both of his knees.

Source:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arul_Suppiah

Dr M K Rajakumar : Former president of the Malaysian Medical Association

Dr M K Rajakumar : Veteran socialist leader and healthcare advocate;regarded as a founding father of the discipline of family medicine by general practitioners and family physicians

 1932-2008

Former president of the Malaysian Medical Association
Former president of the World Organisation of Family Doctors (WONCA)
Former president of the Malaysian Scientific Assocation
Former president of the World Organisation of National Colleges, Academies
Former president of the Academic Associations of Family Physicians

"Dr Rajakumar was very dedicated to his cause. As a medical doctor he could have spent his time making money, but he was only interested in helping people."

Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Khay Kim

 "He was at his happiest when serving the poor. We in the Barisan Sosialis looked upon him as a true people’s hero because he was not interested in rewards...I know that he was offered titles by the Barisan government and also that Lee Kuan Yew tried to get him to move to Singapore but he turned both down because his only interest was serving the poor.”

Tan Khai Hee

A great man has passed away. He was a genuine Malaysian, a true patriot, a selfless leader and a public intellectual par excellence. I have the fullest admiration for him. Raja deserves to be regarded as the best role model for Malaysians, especially the youths of today.

 by Dr. Syed Husin Ali

Dr M K Rajakumar

Dr M K Rajakumar was a veteran socialist leader and medical practitioner, regarded as a founding father of the discipline of family medicine by general practitioners and family physicians. Dr Rajakumar is best known as a leftist intellectual who formed part of the leadership of the Labour Party and Barisan Sosialis during the 1960s. Along with other leaders like the late Tan Sri Dr Tan Chee Koon, V. David, Ishak Haji Muhammad (better known as Pak Sako) and Karam Singh, he made the Labour Party a force to be reckoned with (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._K._Rajakumar). As a medical student at the University of Malaya in Singapore, he co-founded the University Socialist Club and later landed himself in court on a sedition charge for an editorial that condemned Western imperialism and aggression in Asia. Even after his return to Malaya to practice medicine, he was associated with politicians, trade unionists and activists detained without trial in various mass arrests (http://gbgerakbudaya.com/2012/02/an-uncommon-hero-m-k-rajakumar-in-politics-and-medicine/).He was also detained under the Internal Security Act from 1966-1969.

After he was released from detention Rajakumar focused more on his medical practice, but was still concerned with improving the general standard of healthcare.He served as President of the Malaysian Medical Association from 1979-80, President of the Malaysian Scientific Assocation from 1981-83 and President of the World Organisation of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of Family Physicians from 1986-89.He elevated his crusade for primary health care and family medicine to the international level through the World Organisation of Family Doctors (Wonca). Posthumously, the global movement for mentoring young family doctors, The Rajakumar Movement, was named after him.

 Related links:

An Uncommon Hero: M.K. Rajakumar in Politics and Medicine

 <http://gbgerakbudaya.com/2012/02/an-uncommon-hero-m-k-rajakumar-in-politics-and-medicine/>

Dr Rajakumar – truly a patriot and people’s hero
<http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx?file=%2f2008%2f11%2f23%2fnation%2f2626772&sec=nation> 

Remembering Dr M K Rajakumar

 <http://aliran.com/820.html>

 

The Rajakumar Movement

<http://www.rajakumarmovement.org/photos.html>

Source:

 http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx?file=%2f2008%2f11%2f23%2fnation%2f2626772&sec=nation

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._K._Rajakumar

 http://gbgerakbudaya.com/2012/02/an-uncommon-hero-m-k-rajakumar-in-politics-and-medicine/

 http://aliran.com/820.html

D.S. Ramanathan : Malaysia's First Mayor (Mayor of George Town, Penang)

D.S. Ramanathan : George Town's First Mayor 

Ramanathan was elected the mayor of George Town for two terms – 1958 and 1959

George Town's first mayor Ramanathan was a fiery man, politician, educationist and unionist

by  

Wong Chun Wai

<http://www.thestar.com.my>

The principal: Ramanathan (front, third from right) 

with the other members of the Penang Pykett Methodist School board.

PENANG, or more specifically George Town, still does not have a mayor or Datuk Bandar although it has long attained the status of a recognised city.Many towns in Malaysia are eager to seek city status and have to work hard to meet the requirements and standards.Ironically, there are also those which have attained city status but in reality, are not functioning as cities, in the eyes of many.

Back in 1956, George Town had become the first municipality in the Federation of Malaya to have a fully elected council, with G.H. Goh from the Alliance comprising Umno, MCA and MIC as its first president.More importantly, on Jan 1, 1957, George Town became a city by a royal charter granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

George Town, in other words, was the first town in the Federation of Malaya to be elevated to a city, and the only city in Malaya/Malaysia until Kuala Lumpur was granted city status in 1972.The first mayor of George Town was councillor D.S. Ramanathan from the Labour Party of Malaya.The former teacher, who began his career in Perak, was the president of the National Union of Teachers from 1959 to 1962 as well as vice-president of the Malayan Teachers National Congress from 1961-1962.

During that period, he was also an active member of the National Joint Council of Teachers.But it was his involvement in politics that Ramanathan made his mark in the state’s historical landscape.He was a founder member of the Pan Malayan Labour Party and was its first chairman.Politics at the local level was very vibrant back then.The people at that time elected over 3,000 representatives to head 37 town councils, 37 town boards, 289 local councils and seven district councils.George Town was said to be the richest local council with reserves totalling $6.037mil.

Local elections were suspended in 1964 because of the Indonesian Confrontation.Ramanathan was popular and was elected the mayor of George Town for two terms – 1958 and 1959.According to a report in The Star by Neil Khor and Khaldun Malik, after elections were suspended, “Ramanathan accused his local council colleagues of corruption and mismanagement” leading to the formation of the Athi Nahappan Commission to study the alleged corruption and inefficiency of local government in Malaysia. Despite his socialist inclinations and fiery image, Ramanathan was a dedicated Methodist.After finishing his term as mayor, he was appointed as the headmaster of the Penang Pykett Methodist School.The appointment by the Annual Conference of the Malayan Methodists was reported in the Straits Times issue of Dec 15, 1959.

Ramanathan, who passed away in 1973, was married to Ruth Vanniasingham, who now lives in Kuala Lumpur.But her family members declined The Star’s request for an interview. Hailing from a prominent Jaffna- Tamil family, her father, Kanagasa-bapathy Vanniasingham founded the Tamil Methodist Church in Penang.According to reports, Ruth was the first person in Penang to obtain the Licentiate of the Trinity College of Music in 1936.She initially taught Penang’s renowned pianist Dennis Lee before he went to the United Kingdom.

Scott Road, a small road off Air Rajah Road, has been renamed in honour of Ramanathan.Scott Road is said to have been named after James Scott, who was a partner of Francis Light.The land on which the then Scott Road passes through was formerly the Ayer Rajah Estate which belonged to the Brown Family, which has close ties with the Scotts, according to reports.Although Ramanathan has been described as “an erstwhile socialist challenging the colonial and federal authorities for the most downtrodden people in the country, and stood side by side with Lim Kean Siew and other socialists” the politicking from within the ranks made him quit the socialist platform.With various allegations hurled against him, Ramanathan resigned from the LPM to become an independent councillor and subsequently an Alliance councillor, representing the MIC.

Not surprisingly, the Left has not spoken highly of him, and has refused to accord him the kind of respect given to other socialist comrades.When Scott Road was renamed in his honour, it sparked off controversy and the road sign was defaced on numerous occasions.One reader wrote in to The Star, at the height of the controversy, to say that if any road should be renamed in his honour, it should be Pykett Road, since he was the headmaster of the school there.

Some said the residents, who are mostly affluent, did not like being linked to someone with a socialist background.Others claim the controversy was ignited by his former socialist comrades.But a compromise seems to have been struck, ending the standoff, with the city authorities putting both the names of Ramanathan and Scott on the roadsign now.As a student, then in my secondary years, I spent a fair bit of time playing football with my school mates at the open field at the then Scott Road.Although I lived in Ayer Itam, which was far away from the area, it did not stop me from cycling all the way to Scott Road, where many of my friends were living nearby in Pulau Tikus for our games.My years as a Boy Scout also led me to spend my time there, carrying out my patrol (or team) activities there.

While his politics were contentious, Ramanathan has surely left his mark as a school principal with many of his former students posting fond memories of him on the Internet.In fact, he was also credited for his pioneering efforts to set up a university in Penang.The idea of a university in Penang was first mooted by him in 1959 in the State Assembly and later crystalised when he was nominated chairman of the Penang University Project committee.The Universiti Sains Malaysia opened in 1969 and is today one of the leading tertiary institutions of learning in Malaysia.Ramanathan will certainly be remembered for his contributions as a mayor, politician, teacher, unionist and educationist.

Source:

 http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/2013/10/05/George-Towns-first-mayor-a-fiery-man-Ramanathan-also-remembered-for-his-contributions-as-a-politic.aspx

Hemala Devi Enikutty : ASEAN Para Games Gold Medalist - Javelin

Hemala Devi Enikutty :
National Track and Field Paralympian and Para Games Gold Medalist

 

Hemala Devi Enikutty won a gold medal in the women’s F12 Category (Javelin) during the 2011 ASEAN Para Games.

Source:
http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/12/17/malaysian-contingent-win-five-gold-medals/

Perumal Mariappan : Paralympic Bronze Medalist - Powerlifting

 Perumal Mariappan : Paralympic Bronze Medalist

Mariappan Perumal

Powerlifting

Bronze: 1988 Seoul - Men’s 57 kg

Bronze: 1992 Barcelona - Men's 60 kg

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_at_the_Paralympics

http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/08/28/malaysias-paralympians-all-set-for-games/

Roshini Muniam : Astronaut

Roshini Muniam : Astronaut

 (The First Malaysian Woman in Space)

Roshini Muniam is set to be the first Malaysian woman to reach space and if she succeeds,she will be one of only 2 Malaysians who have ever reached space; with the other being Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor who became the first Malaysian Astronaut in 2007.

Source:

 https://www.facebook.com/rose4space?fref=ts

http://mystarjob.com/articles/story.aspx?file=/2013/9/27/mystarjob_features/20130927115305&sec=mystarjob_features

https://www2.axeapollo.com/en_CA/

Tan Sri Dr B.C. Sekhar: Scientist (Rubber Research)

 Tan Sri Dr B.C. Sekhar

Nov 17 1929 - Sept 6 2006

Tan Sri Sekhar was born on the 17th of November, 1929 at the Ulu Bulu Estate (now Malayan Glass). His place of birth is located near the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia’s (RRIM) 3,400 acre experimental station at Sungai Buloh, which he developed during his tenure into one of the most comprehensively equipped research centers.

Tan Sri B C Sekhar: A truly great son of Malaysia

by

 A J Patrick

 (http://aliran.com/212.html)

A J Patrick pays tribute to a towering Malaysian, the late Tan Sri B C Sekhar, who not only advanced research into natural rubber but was also extremely concerned about plantation workers.

The recent passing of Tan Sri B C Sekhar was a sad moment for this nation.  The late Tan Sri Sekhar was a beacon that graced the Malaysian shore. From the time he joined the Rubber Research Institute of Malaya (PRIM) until the time of his passing, he devoted his life to the advancement of research and development in natural rubber.  From a young researcher, he moved on to become the Director of the RRIM and ended his illustrious public career as Controller of Rubber Research and Chairman of the Malaysian Rubber Research and Development Board (MRRDB), the first Malaysian to hold both these positions.  Throughout this journey and even thereafter, he remained undoubtedly the strongest advocate of the techno-economic superiority of natural rubber.

Many contributions

Among the many contributions made by Tan Sri Sekhar in his research endeavours, the Standard Malaysian Rubber(SMR) Scheme  that he engineered and promoted in the late Sixties and early Seventies stands out most significantly.  He pioneered numerous innovations and spearheaded various other research programmes, but in all those endeavours he did not forget those whose lives depended on natural rubber.   He was actively involved in the international price-stabilisation scheme for rubber and, in the prcess, helped to better the lives of the smallholders and rural poor in Malaysia and other natural rubber-producing countries.

As an administrator, Tan Sri Sekhar also played a decisive role in the wage negotiations to convert the daily wage of RRIM plantation workers into a monthly wage in April 1983. This was at a time when the owners of plantation companies were still bent on keeping their workers on daily-rated wages while they raked in millions of ringgit.

One of his oft-repeated quotes to officials of the Union was “I will take care of the tree while you take care of the man under the tree, but remember that if there is no tree there will be no man underneath it”.  He eventually took care of both.  Today, the plantation workers in RRI enjoy not only monthly wages but also pension rights and gratuity benefits calculated from the initial date of the workers’ date of employment.

Impassioned plea
In September 2005, when attempts were being made in the Master Plan to develop the Rubber Research Institute Experiment Station in Sungai Buloh, Tan Sri made an impassioned plea to the authorities to consider alloting an acre of land to all pioneer Plantation Rubber Research Institute progenies.  These progenies would be second and third generations, i.e. the father or mother being worker at the Station or RRIM, and their son or daughter continuing to be employed at the Station or RRIM.  Honouring Tan Sri’s plea would indeed be a tribute to him.
Tan Sri Sekhar was not only an eminent scientist, but also a devoted sports enthuasiast.  He ensured that the RRI recruited sportsmen and sportswomen without compromising the standard and quality of research.  When the Rubber Research Institute Recreation Club was formed in 1965, Tan Sri was responsible for allocating one of the RRIM bungalows as its clubhouse, and the Board granted an annual grant for the operational expenditure of the club.

Formidable force
During his tenure as Director and later Chairman of the Board, the Club was a formidable force in sports in Malaysia, particularly in hockey, cricket and badminton.  The 1975 Hockey World Cup bears witness to Tan Sri’s contribution to sports when four hockey players from the RRI donned national colours and steered Malaysia to fourth position, a ranking we have not since attained.  In cricket, in the seventies and eighties, the Club had at least five national players and several state players.

Shortly before his passing, Tan Sri Sekhar was in the forefront to prevent the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC) in Brickendonbury, England, being turned into a Sports Centre.  Although he always remained a sports enthuasiast, he opposed any form of construction on the TARRC site that would change the nature and character of this renowned research facility.  He argued that the TARRC was the centre of research for natural rubber applications and for good reason this centre had to be located in one of the industrialised countries.  What better place than Brickendonbury where we have an established Natural Rubber  research facility.  With his passing, we sincerely hope that the Government will see the wisdom of his words and abandon all attempts to convert the TARRC into a Sports Centre.  It would be a fitting tribute to this great Malaysian.

One can continue to write volumes about the contributions of this great icon.  But sadly, after his retirement in 1984, the powers-that-be never found a way to continue to tap his wealth of knowledge and expertise. He, however, continued the journey on his own and, using his own words, “contributed his prepared and motivated mind” to all those within Malaysia as well as the rest of the world who sought his expertise.

The nation owes a debt of gratitude to Tan Sri Sekhar.  Saluting him, we stand together with many others, among whom are those who were fortunate to have worked with him, those who were acquainted with him as well as those who knew him.

He was indeed a truly great son of Malaysia.

 Source:

 http://aliran.com/212.html

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._C._Shekhar