LETTER | The late KS Nijhar was a friendly, helpful MP

LETTER | KS Nijhar, who passed away on June 15, was BN's MIC Member of Parliament for Subang for two terms from 1999-2008. A lot of Subang constituents remember fondly the late MP's contributions to their well being. He was affable and approachable and lent a helping hand to constituents and others who referred complaints to him. He was experienced as he had been the parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

He had two competent and pro-active assistants - a 'Mr Siva' and one 'Mr Kandiah - who would immediately get down to address the problems brought to their attention by contacting the various government departments and local authorities. 

Subang constituents had a good and meaningful time discussing a wide range of matters with their MP. Many Malay, Chinese and Indian community leaders would come to seek his assistance and guidance even for state constituency matters as they felt Nijhar was more accessible and helpful. Constituents would go back satisfied that their complaints would be rectified shortly. 

I came to know him during his second term when I referred community matters to him. My usual approach was to bring such matters to the attention of the newspapers or the Public Complaints Bureau. I regret not befriending him earlier during his first term as I found out later that he was very community-conscious and concerned about social and constituency issues.

It was during his two terms that both the Damansara Damai and Kota Damansara townships were taking shape and a large number of the B40 applicants were successful in getting low-cost apartments due to his efforts. The Subang constituency then was a sprawling urban/semi-urban constituency stretching from Bandar Utama to the Sg Buloh Prison. 

The Subang constituency has been divided for the last general election into the smaller Sg Buloh constituency and the larger Subang constituency which now includes Sg Way and Subang Jaya.

It was reported in the media that Nijhar was the highest-ranking Sikh politician in the party after the second MIC president, Baba Budh Singh Ji, who succeeded party founder John Thivy. For this, one should be grateful to S Samy Velu who saw to it that the MIC was inclusive and not exclusive to the majority Tamils only. 

 Hence all Indian ethnic groups such as the Sikhs, Malayalees, Telegus, Indian Muslims and Christians were regarded as part of the fold and many rose to prominent positions in the party over the years. 

Unfortunately, that trend has ended and the MIC's dominance as the main party representing the Indians too has ended. 

As a Sikh, Nijhar did not face any problems of interaction, despite the language barrier and he was wholeheartedly supported by the MIC Subang division for his election and re-election. 

With his passing on, Subang constituents bid a sad farewell to a duty-conscious MP. May he rest in peace and may God comfort his bereaved family.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.