Andrew Lin, a new supporter of ipohWorld recently submitted an article for inclusion on the blog. However it is really too long to put here and so we have entered on the main database and have only included the following as an introduction. If you would care to read all the article and comment here after you have read it, please click on D R Seenivasagam here. Incidentally we desperately need a better photograph of DR if anyone has one we could use.
I N M E M O R I A M
IN EVERLOVING MEMORY OF THE LATE D.R. SEENIVASAGAM. PASSED AWAY 15TH MARCH 1969. DEEPLY MISSED BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN.
The Man Who Fought For Justice
Last Monday, 15th March 2010 was the forty first anniversary of the passing of D.R.Seenivasagam, or DR as he was affectionately known, a great and illustrious son of Ipoh. Sadly, the day passed by without any mention of the event in the obituary pages of our local newspapers.
To old-timers of Ipoh, Darma Raja Seenivasagam needs no introduction at all. He was the President of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), one of the earliest political parties formed in pre-independent Malaya. Under his leadership, the PPP captured control of the Ipoh Town Council, the forerunner to the Ipoh Municipal Council and later the Ipoh City Council, in 1958 and provided efficient local government for the people of Ipoh. DR’s charisma and extraordinary ability to articulate the aspirations of the masses endeared him to all who came in contact with him – from the “towkay” to the coolie. It is a well known fact that his most loyal supporters were the downtrodden of society namely the hawkers, petty traders, trishaw peddlers, labourers and others of the working class like the now-forgotten dulang washers. These people remained faithful to DR to the end.
Unfortunately, those born after 1969 had grown up with little or no knowledge of the man who as the opposition Member of Parliament for Ipoh was a constant thorn in the side of the then ruling Alliance government. DR was also an outstanding criminal lawyer in the country. On several occasions, his brilliance and skill in the legal profession spared many on the wrong side of the law from the gallows.
As a mark of remembrance for this towering personality, I, a humble retired senior citizen from Kuala Lumpur and a one-time resident here, invite you, good readers, to join me in a trip down memory lane and together reminisce our impressions and thoughts of DR – the man who fought for justice. Please share your insights with me so that the memory of this beloved leader who had done so much for Ipoh and its citizens will be perpetuated for our future generations. This commentary is my own personal recollections and may contain inaccuracies of fact due to the passage of time, for which I sincerely apologize. Feel free to correct any discrepancies, where necessary. Some of the road names mentioned have since been changed and may be unfamiliar to some of us.
The article continues here