Here Are 13 Iconic Samy Vellu Quotes During His Time As A Minister
"Ini semua kerja orang gila lah."
Former Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) president Tun Samy Vellu has passed away. He was 86.
Samy Vellu was the longest-serving minister in the Malaysian Cabinet, having served for 29 years.
As the former Minister of Works and Public Amenities (1979-1983), Minister of Works (1983-1989, 1995-2008), Minister of Energy, Telecommunications, and Posts (1989-1995), and member of parliament (MP) for Sungai Siput (1974-2008), he was known for being very vocal over his long career.
Image via EPA/The Malaysian Insight
Here are some of Samy Vellu's most unforgettable quotes:
1. "Ini semua kerja orang gila lah"
Samy Vellu made the comment about the murder of Tenggaroh state assemblyman Datuk S Krishnasamy in 2008.
"Orang gila lah. Sekarang banyak orang sudah gila. Dia layak untuk masuk Hospital Tanjung Rambutan atau hospital di Tampoi lah," he said about the killer.
2. "My God. When you become a president of MIC, even the cat on the road has got the right to criticise you."
The former party president was responding to those who called him out for criticising then MIC president G Palanivel in an interview in 2014.
"If any politician thinks they should not be criticised, I don't think they're worth (being) in politics," he continued.
3. "No, no, no. They threw an atomic bomb at me. So I threw an atomic (bomb) back."
Samy said that in jest. He made the statement while denying rumours that shoes were thrown at him during a visit to Butterworth, Penang in 2018.
"Nothing happened. They also didn't throw a screwdriver at me. If they threw a screwdriver, I'll take the screwdriver and use it for my car," he said.
To many Malaysians, Samy will also always be the politician who spoke Bahasa Melayu with unshakable confidence, although laden with errors
Here are some of the iconic quotes that netizens remember, all immortalised in a Facebook post:
1. "Besok kirim, hari ini sampai" - on Pos Laju's speedy delivery.
2. "Ini perkara banyak memalukan saya. Sebenarnya, kemaluan saya sangat-sangat BESAR" - commenting on his modesty.
3. "Orang-orang muda sekarang banyak suka hisap dada" - on the rise in drug issues among youth.
4. "Kita akan bina satu jambatan untuk orang-orang kampung di sini... Kalau tak ade sungai, kita bina sungai" - said during a motivational talk.
5. "Toll naik sikit, marah sama saya. You ingat ini semua toll saya punya bapak punya kah?" - commenting on the issue of rising toll fares.
6. "Semua orang diminta jangan membuang aiyeer" - said during a water shortage crisis.
7. "Marilah kita semua menderma dara" - said during a blood donation campaign in Sungai Siput.
8. "Selamat datang saudara-mara semua" - said during opening speeches at various functions.
9. "Mempersilakan Datin Paduka Rafidah Aziz naik ke pentas untuk membuka kain" - said at an opening ceremony
10. "Bagi saya, ini adalah satu pembaziran atas duit rakyat. Kita sepatutnya tidak hantar mereka ke bulan, tapi hantar mereka pergi ke MATAHARI! Barulah USA dan Russia respect sama kita!" - he said to a journalist.
The journalist replied, "Tapi Datuk Seri, matahari kan panas, macam mana mahu pergi?"
Samy responded, "Itu pasal you takda jadi menteri, saya sudah 30 tahun jadi menteri, mesti ada penyelesaian. Kita jangan pergi siang, banyak panas. Kita pergi malam baru ada sejuk!"
Samy Vellu had also been the longest-serving MIC president:
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