FOR Dr A. Xavier Jayakumar, his interest in politics started in India when he was a dentistry student at Manipal University.
“I was about 21 and a member of the students union. We were involved in student rights activities, including a college hunger strike.
“Indira Gandhi was prime minister at the time. She and her Indian National Congress party were going through parliamentary elections. I attended one or two political rallies and witnessed the passion in Indian politics and was roused. That was how my early interest in politics took shape.”
When he completed his studies and returned to Malaysia, he got involved in politics in a more serious manner.
“During my housemanship, I joined Aliran, a non-governmental organisation led by Dr Chandra Muzaffar. I learnt a lot during that time, about democracy, governance, how a government operates and how elections are run.”
For Malaysian politics, 1998 was a watershed year. Former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was dismissed from the cabinet. Shortly after, he and his supporters initiated the Reformasi movement. This led to the formation of Parti Keadilan Nasional (Keadilan).
Dr Jayakumar joined the party in its early days and has been a member for 20 years. Keadilan later became Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). He is now Kuala Langat member of parliament.
He said Indira Gandhi might have been in instrumental in getting him interested in politics, but another woman was responsible for keeping him involved until now.
“I must say that my wife, Sheila Devaraj, is my pillar of strength. She understands that as a politician and public figure, I need to spend many hours away from home and the family. Without her support, I don’t think I would be where I am now.
“She’s a fighter herself and always keen to bring about changes and reforms.”
ESTATE LIFE
Dr Jayakumar reminisced about his childhood in Sungai Petani, Kedah, living in a rubber estate.
“My father came from India. He did many types of jobs — a store worker, a tailor and a teacher in a Tamil school.
“Finally, he became an estate manager and held that job until he retired,” said Dr Jayakumar, the eldest of four children.
Back then, Dr Jayakumar used to follow his father everywhere around the estate.
“I would help him keep viper snakes for venom milking. We kept the reptiles in jars at home and fed them eggs. The vipers were then taken to a centre in Penang to milk their venom for an antidote.”
He said his parents did a lot for him and his siblings, for which he was indebted.
“They brought us up well and gave us a good education. We are all doing very well now,” said the former Malaysian Dental Association secretary-general.
He said estate life indirectly shaped his reformist ways and future political struggles.
“It taught me how to care for people on the ground, the underprivileged workers.
“I knew exactly how they lived and their living conditions. They should have been better treated and more should have been done for them.”
DR JAYAKUMAR THE BUILDER
When he is not busy with work, Dr Jayakumar tries to find time for his hobby — furniture crafting.
He said it started when he was studying at St Michael’s Institution in Ipoh, Perak.
“I was in Form 1 in 1966. We had an industrial arts class, which was part of the curriculum then. It had two components — metalwork and woodwork.
“I would eagerly wait for the class to start because I was interested in woodwork. From there, I learned how to use tools to make simple structures. It could be a lamp stand, coffee table or side table. It’s mostly made of drift wood. I still keep these early creations in the house.
“Every time I finish a piece, I would be very happy and satisfied. Those were some of my happiest times in school,” he said, adding that he used to build
reban (chicken coop) and aquariums in his spare time.
He said when he was young, he liked to build toy models.
“My mother used to tell me that when I was about 6, I started playing with Meccano, which is similar to Lego. You can build things like trucks and cars with the metal pieces.”
A SPORTS ENTHUSIAST
Growing up in an estate, Dr Jayakumar spent much of his time running around and playing football.
“I had a lot of spare time because I did not attend the school’s extracurricular activities in the evenings due to the distance.
“I played almost all sports in school — football, badminton, tennis — until I became quite good at them. But it was track and field that I excelled in. I’ve always been a long-distance runner and continued running for a long time.
“Recently, I had to stop because of my knees. But my enthusiasm for sports remains. These days, I enjoy watching cricket and rugby. I hope to watch the Rugby World Cup in Japan this September.”