KUALA LUMPUR: The issue of the Indian community's loyalty and contribution to Malaysia have been hotly debated recently.
This follows the statement by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that Malaysian Indians and Chinese are not completely loyal to the country as they still want to identify themselves with their respective countries of origin.
Indian community and political leaders have rejected Dr Mahathir's statement and pointed to the contributions made by the Indian community to the country's development over the years.
Lately, a list of prominent Malaysian Indians who have made their marks on the country's history have been making the rounds on social medias.
The names on the list made numerous contributions to the country in various fileds, from business to sports, literature to politics.
One of them is Rear-Admiral (Rtd) Tan Sri K Thanabalasingam, who was the first Malaysian to be appointed chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy in 1967, and KS Maniam, as academic, playwright and novelist.
Also highlighted on the list was prominent pre-independence businessman and community leader K Thamboosamy Pillay. He was was one of the founders and original trustees of Victoria Institution as well as the founder of the Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur.
Tan Sri Dr M Jegathesan, once the fastest man in Asia nicknamed "The Flying Doctor", who went on to serve as director of the Institute for Medical Research, and his fellow sprinter and Olympian Datuk M Rajamani, are also on the list.
Another name on the lis was Tan Sri Devaki Krishnan, who died yesterday (Jan 21).
She was the first woman elected to public office in Malaysia when she won a seat on the Municipal Council in Kuala Lumpur in 1952.