In this Indian name, the name V. is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Manickavasagam Pillai.
| Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato' SeriV. ManickavasagamPMN SPMS PJK | |
|---|---|
| மாணிக்கவாசகம் பிள்ளை | |
 | |
| 6th President of the Malaysian Indian Congress | |
| In office 30 June 1973 – 12 October 1979 | |
| Preceded by | V. T. Sambanthan |
| Succeeded by | Samy Vellu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1926-10-04)4 October 1926 Klang, Selangor, Federated Malay States, British Malaya (now Malaysia) |
| Died | 12 October 1979(1979-10-12) (aged 53) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Political party | Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) |
| Occupation | Politician |
V. Manickavasagam Pillai (Tamil: மாணிக்கவாசகம் பிள்ளை, romanized: Māṇikkavācakam piḷḷai; 4 October 1926 – 12 October 1979) was a Malaysian politician who served as Minister of Communications. He was a member and served as 6th President of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), a component party of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition from June 1973 to his death in October 1979.
President of MIC
Manickavasagam became president of MIC as a result of increased resistance of the grassroot members to Tun V.T. Sambanthan's style of leadership, who had been president of the party for 18 years.
Under Manickavasagam's leadership, the MIC was put on a strong footing with buildings, offices and staff in various parts of the country and the party system organised and its capacity to deal with issues enhanced.
It was during this period that the MIC, as member of the Alliance, became part of the Barisan Nasional. The party sponsored the Nesa Multipurpose Cooperative and the MIC Unit Trust as part of its programme for economic ventures, and also set up the MIC Education Fund for members' children and the Malaysian Indian Scholarship Fund for higher education as well as acquiring an Institute for training Indians in technical and trade skills.
Blue Book
Manickavasagam had a vision for the Malaysian Indian community. He organised the First Indian Economic Seminar and as a result the Blue Book came about. It was a development plan for the economic growth of the Indian community.
The Blue Book was an orchestrated effort of a think-tank of top Indian business, political and education leaders collaborating to augment the future of the Malaysian Indian community. Maika Holdings and Maju Institute of Education and Development (MIED) and others are a direct result of the Blue Book.
Infusing new blood
When Manickavasagam became president of the Malaysian Indian Congress, he decided to introduce new faces to the party in leadership positions. This was the time when S. Subramaniam, K. Pathmanaban, a Harvard MBA holder, and several others entered the political arena to infuse new blood into MIC, and Manickavasagam gave them preference. They were young, well-educated and ambitious but lacked grassroots experience.
This made S. Samy Vellu, who was then MIC vice-president, bitter as he felt he was being sidelined. Samy Vellu was one of the five leaders who dared defy former president V.T. Sambanthan and propel Manickavasagam to the presidency of the party.
Subramaniam, then the secretary general of MIC, was hand-picked by Manickavasagam to become deputy president and succeed him. However, Samy Vellu fought back, literally, and in the 1977 party elections he managed to beat Subramaniam by a mere 26 votes to become the Deputy President of MIC.
Death
Manickavasagam died in 1979 while still in office. His deputy, S. Samy Vellu was made acting president of MIC and remained president until 6 December 2010.
Honours
Honours of Malaysia
Malaya :
Companion of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (JMN) (1958)
Malaysia :
Recipient of the Malaysian Commemorative Medal (Gold) (PPM) (1965)
Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (PMN) – Tan Sri (1970)
Selangor :
Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor (SPMS) – Dato' Seri (1970)
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References
- "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1958" (PDF). Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia). Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1970" (PDF). Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia). Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- "SPMS 1970". awards.selangor.gov.my. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byV. T. Sambanthan | Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) President 30 June 1973 – 12 October 1979 |
Succeeded bySamy Vellu |
| Fourth Rahman cabinet (1969–1970) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister: Tunku Abdul Rahman | ||
 | ||
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- 1926 births
- 1979 deaths
- People from Selangor
- Malaysian Hindus
- Malaysian politicians of Tamil descent
- Malaysian politicians of Indian descent
- Presidents of Malaysian Indian Congress
- Government ministers of Malaysia
- Transport ministers of Malaysia
- Companions of the Order of the Defender of the Realm
- Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm
- Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Selangor
- Malaysian Indian Congress politicians
- Malaysian MPs 1959–1964
- Malaysian MPs 1964–1969
- Malaysian MPs 1971–1974
- Malaysian MPs 1974–1978
- Malaysian MPs 1978–1982