Ministerial Posts
As president of a party that was a component of the ruling Alliance Party, he was appointed Minister of Labour (1955–57), Health (1957–59), Works, Posts and Telecommunications (1959–71) and National Unity (1972–74).
During the time the Malaysian Government decided to ban the Chinese lion dance and racial tension was high after May 13, 1969, Tun Sambanthan Thevar as National Unity Minister in the early 1970s, took some Chinese leaders to Genting to talk things over. The discussions were successful and the lion dance ban was later lifted because the Government realised it was important to maintain each race’s culture.
Apart from ministerial duties, Tunku Abdul Rahman often assigned important tasks to Sambanthan. In 1968, the Tunku sent Sambanthan Thevar to Fiji as an emissary of peace; the Chief Minister of Fiji acknowledged Sambanthan’s contribution in a letter to Tunku thanking him for the “great success” of the delegation “under the superb leadership of Tun Sambanthan”.
Sambanthan Thevar also joined the delegation to Jakarta, Indonesia in 1966 to witness the signing of an agreement whereby diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Malaysia were normalised after the Indonesian Confrontation episode.
After resigning as president of MIC, he was appointed chairman of the National Unity Board (1974–78) that replaced the National Unity Ministry.
Throughout his political career, which spanned 25 years, he had preached and practised the doctrine of unity amidst diversity. Appropriately enough, in the Malaysian context, it was to national unity that he devoted the last few years of his life.
Read more about this topic: V. T. Sambanthan
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