I regard it a great privilege to be present here today, to say a few words on the occasion of the launch of the book, ‘Politics and Service, The Experiences of Banting Jaya’ in honor and memory of the late Daniel Jayaratnam of Banting, Kuala Langat.
Recapturing the past is an important task. This is because, in knowing the past we understand the present and chart the future. The attempts by the Jayaratnam family in documenting the significant contributions and role played by Daniel Jayaratnam will provide us valuable lessons in political thought and action.
The previous three speakers have highlighted salient points from the family perspective, church and school involvement including his contributions in politics and service. I too have had a long and lasting friendship with the man popularly know as ‘Banting Jaya’.
Mr Jayaratnam was a pioneer of the Malayan Indian Congress and has served well through it for the cause of the community and nation. He was a very popular man in the district of Kuala Langat. He was a close friend and associate of the late Tun Sambanthan. He was also one of my closest friends in politics.
Mr Jayaratnam was very helpful in building the NLFCS and was made a director of the society for sometime. Tun Sambanthan also appointed him to the FELDA management Board and through his efforts and hard work over a 1,000 Indian families were placed in FELDA schemes.
Although the late Jayaratnam was a Christian and active in the Church he worked closely with the Hindu community and even held the office of being Chairman of the Hindu burial ground in Banting. This reveals his ability to work with people and be involved in affairs that concerns them.
In politics Mr. Daniel Jayaratnam was asked to contest the Sg.Rawang seat in the 1959 General Elections, which he lost narrowly. When I first came to the Selangor MIC AGM at the Chinese Assembly Hall in 1959 he was the first person to receive me and the first politician I got acquainted with in my early years. Jayaratnam was a person with strong convictions and never liked to see anything go wrong. He is well remembered as one who voiced the needs and concerns of the Indian community.
We are at a threshold of national and global changes requiring citizens to review their strategic positions, rights and responsibilities. Modern realities require us to rethink conventional politics and its relevance for contemporary societies. A sophisticated dimension of politics has emerged where articulate advocacy for policy reform is balanced with a compassionate touch in serving the ordinary person on the street. It is drawing a balance between policy on the one hand and service on the other at the micro dimension.
The Malaysian Indian Congress since its founding has been led by men and women with commitment, zeal and conviction for the advancement of the community and nation. Pioneers like Jayaratnam were the products of the INA revolution, who eventually found a balance and moderate approach for community transformation through the MIC as a partner in the Alliance and later the Barisan National. The book Politics and Service is also a timely reminder to return to the basics in political thought and action. This is about going to the grassroots, knowing the people and their struggles, voicing their concerns to relevant authorities and extending effective remedies.
The story of Daniel Jayaratnam leaves us a legacy of service through political action. In so doing he exemplified the true essence of exercising democratic rights and responsibilities in modern Malaysia.
(Submitted on 24th Jun 2002)
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