Sungai Siput Utara, Perak, Malaysia- Hard work pays, and it pays sweetly!
The GE15 elections revealed an inspiring story of a Malaysian politician who rose from the root level, beating a mighty opponent with sheer hard work!
Surprising results are commonplace, and so are leaders winning in elections and losing closely contested elections, but some leaders' inspirational wins in life are a definite motivation.
Mr. YB Kesavan Subramaniam, known as YB Kesavan, is an exemplary leader who represents the mass, and he has proven that any goal is achievable with perseverance and with the people's interests in mind.
YB Kesavan hails from Hutan Melintang and came from an estate labour family, but he soon shifted from his hometown to Sungai Siput to work with the community as a committed leader. With zero political & financial background and no connections other than the people he served, YB Kesavan persisted in his one goal of helping the people of Sungai Siput for the last two terms as a MP.
He attended to the community's problems in person, being in 2000 funerals and 3000 wedding ceremonies during his political career in. Sungai Siput and Hutan Melintang.
YB Kesavan's quest to serve people found wings when he joined the People Justice Party in 2002. He was a state assemblyman of Perak for two terms. He shifted from the Hutan Melintang state seat (serving two terms: 2008 to 2018) to the Bagan Datuk parliament constituency. From May 2018 to October 2022, he served as a Member of Parliament. In January 2009, his sincerity to the people and his party was tested when he was invited with various offers to topple the Perak state government led by Pakatan Rakyat, yet he stayed true to his roots and did not waiver from his commitment to his idols Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim and YB Rafizi.
He followed YB Rafizi and Dato Seri Anwar for a multi-racial political culture and unity party. He firmly followed these principles of race-free politics. Similarly, when there was a move by Sheraton to topple the Pakatan Harapan government, he was also invited with various offers and remuneration. None of these money-driven offers shook his pledge to his party.
His passion for social justice and equality was a cause worth fighting for, and he contested for Pakatan Harapan in the GE15 elections.
YB Kesavan's approach to politics is about sacrifice and hard work with selfless dedication. As a true nationalist, YB Kesavan supported higher budgets for education and healthcare. He has never believed in shortcut politics. Hence to support his vision of driving changes and delivering justice to the community, he stood as a candidate in the GE15 against the might of the powerful Malaysian Indian Congress, President Tan Sri Vigneswaran, and the machinery of investing all possible resources in the campaigns.
YB Kesavan did not have the money or power to campaign for the elections, while his powerful opponents had extensive financial support and resources at their disposal, in addition to the opportunity they had for three years to extend their influence.
Despite all the odds against him, YB Kesavan defeated his mighty opponent in a phenomenal win. This 'win' symbolizes the support he has from the people of Sungai Siput, their belief in YB Kesavan's hard work, his understanding of the real issues, and his hard work rather than money power and shows of strength.
Despite all struggles, YB Kesavan is now in the 4th term, continues to follow his principles of being honest to the people who voted for him, and has not betrayed the voters and party in pursuit of money or a post in government. YB Kesavan's experience, dedication to his goal, and lack of interest in money and power have contributed to this phenomenal win, one of the most inspirational stories that can be taken up as a case study to know how people will support selfless leaders.