Palanivel

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Palanivel Govindasamy (Tamil: பழனிவேல் கோவிந்தசாமி) (born 1949), commonly known as Datuk G. Palanivel, is currently the Deputy Minister of Women and Family Development in Malaysia. A former journalist and consumer activist, Palanivel is now championing the cause of the poor, the deprived and the single mothers through his Ministry.

1 Background
2 Poverty Eradication Strategies
3 Political Future
4 Family
5 References

[edit] Background

Palanivel obtained a Bachelor of Arts from 'Universiti Malaya' (University of Malaya) in 1972, majoring in History. Initially he became a teacher at the Goon Institute in Kuala Lumpur, and then at Maktab Adabi in Kuantan. In the same year as his graduation, he was elected Secretary of Petaling Branch of Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), a political party which is part of the ruling coalition. He has been with the party since 1968.

He moved on to become a Research Assistant at the Muzium Negara (National Museum). In 1974, he went back to Penang to join the Consumer Association of Penang. There he rose to the position of Executive Director. His next career move was to join Bernama as a journalist in 1977. There he was elevated to become the Economic News Editor. It was during this period he was invited to become a Press Secretary to the Minister of Works who was (and is) also the President of MIC. That set the stage for the crucial take-off in his political carrier. He was chosen as a candidate in the country's general elections in 1990 and has won every single election as a Member of Parliament ever since.

Positions in the Government commenced with being appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of National Unity. He rose further to become the Deputy Minister of Rural Development of Malaysia from 1999 until 2004 when he was made the Deputy Minister of Women and Family Development.

Palanivel also had a stint in the corporate circle as a Business Adviser to Sports Toto and as Director of Telecoms Malaysia, Usha Martin and the Maharaja Network of Sri Lanka.

[edit] Poverty Eradication Strategies

Some of the major strategies employed by Palanivel and publicised include:

Provision of micro-credit through Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM)
Kursus Pemulihan Sikap untuk Keluarga Miskin.(Attitudinal change education programme)
Sutera Sari Project (tailoring for women)
Information dissemination on government facilities
Educational programme for modernising traditional potters
Arranging scholarships for the needy students

These sporadic, disparate and small budget activities are regarded as contributions in the form of survival strategies for a small number of lower rung and disadvantaged Indians.

It is an emerging trend among the MIC top brass to have each of their achievements listed and publicised on individual basis as part of their preparations for party or parliamentary elections. In all these, a framework of well defined, broad, concerted and coordinated strategy at party level for the benefit of Indians at national, regional or local levels, is rather conspicuously absent. As such, current structures of social inequality from the Indian perspective continue to deteriorate.

[edit] Political Future

In June 2006, Palanivel, previously a Vice President of MIC, entered a new era of top level MIC leadership by defeating a 27 year incumbant, Datuk S.Subramaniam, to become the new Deputy President of MIC. Handpicked and openly supported during the election by the 70 year old MIC President Datuk Seri S.Samy Vellu,(born in 1936) the younger Palanivel,57, is widely seen as the future party president and as the next sole MIC Minister in the Malaysian cabinet.

Palanivel's position hitherto has been a Deputy Minister since 1999. His predecessor Datuk S. Subramaniam during his tenure as Deputy President of MIC, set the record as the longest serving Deputy Minister (quarter of a century) in Malaysian history that totals 50 years. MIC has todate had only one Cabinet Minister for past 26 years, namely the current President Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu. The rest of the cabinet members are from the component parties of the ruling coalition,Barisan Nasional.

[edit] Family

Palanivel is married to Datin Kanagam and they have four sons: the eldest is a doctor while the second son is an architect. The last two are students. A grandson has also arrived.

Palanivel's father, Govindasamy, migrated from South India (now Tamil Nadu state) to Malaysia in 1917, then under British rule. His mother Letchumi, 87, is a Malaysian Indian. The family used to live in Penang Island during Palanivel's early years. He currently resides in Taman Melawati in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.