Palanivel
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- In this Indian name, the name "Govindasamy" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name, "Palanivel". The abbreviations "s/o" or "d/o", if used, mean "son of" or "daughter of" respectively.
| Yang Berhormat Dato' G. Palanivel |
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Deputy President of the Malaysian Indian Congress
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| Assumed office June, 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Dato' Subramaniam Sinniah |
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| In office 1999 – 13 February 2008 |
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| Preceded by | unknown |
| Succeeded by | Dr. Zainal Abidin Ahmad |
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| Born | 1949 |
| Political party |  Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC)part of Barisan Nasional |
| Spouse | Datin Kanagam Palanivel |
| Occupation | Member of Parliament |
| Religion | Hindu |
Yang Berhormat Dato' Palanivel s/o Govindasamy (Tamil: பழனிவேல் கோவிந்தசாமி, born 1949), commonly known as Dato' G. Palanivel, held his last position in the Malaysian Government as the Deputy Minister of Wellfare and Family Development of Malaysia. In the March 8, 2008 general elections, he was defeated in his bid for another five year term as a Member of Parliament. He continues to be the deputy president of the Malaysian Indian Congress, the party claiming to represent the rights of the Indian community in Malaysia.
A former journalist and consumer activist, Palanivel continues championing the cause of the poor.
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[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 Welfare and Family Development. He continued as the Deputy Minister until his defeat in the March 2008 general elections.
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)
- Information dissemination on government facilities
- Educational programme for modernising traditional potters
- Arranging scholarships for the needy students
These first attempts to take government supported programmes to the Indians reached only anything from a few hundred to a few thousand people. More such programmes on an enormous scale need to be done to enable the disadvantaged group of Indians to break out from the clasp of poverty. Otherwise it will remain as sporadic, disparate and small budget activities which will be 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 incumbent, Dato' 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 1936) the younger Palanivel, 59, is widely seen as the future party president.
Palanivel's position hitherto has been a Deputy Minister from 1999 until 2008. His predecessor Datuk S. Subramaniam during his tenure as Deputy President of MIC, set the record as the longest serving Deputy Minister (for quarter of a century) in Malaysian history that totals 50 years. MIC had until March 8, 2008 only one represenative as Cabinet Minister for past 28 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. Following the massive defeat of MIC representatives in the 2008 general elections, MIC no longer has any representation in the coalition government.
[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.
