David V.

David V. (26 August 1932 – 10 July 2005) was a Malaysian unionist and former opposition politician. He won a seat in the Malaysian parliament twice representing the constituencies of Bangsar and Damansara. While in parliament, he was known to be fearless and vocal in raising issues concerning the Indian community in Malaysia. He later became the Chairman of the World Tamil Association in 1984.

Career

Trade Unions

David was a founding member and secretary of Selangor Factories Association in 1953. He was known as 'King David' among local and international trade union circles and served as MTUC secretary-general from 1976 to 1992. He was also the Transport Workers Union secretary-general from 1958 to 1995.

David was best known for setting up the Workers Institute of Technology (WIT) in Port Klang in the early 1970s, which provided education opportunities for thousands of workers' children over the years.

At the international level, he served as the executive board member of the International Transport Federation and the International Confederation of Free Trade Union, and represented Malaysian workers at numerous International Labour Organisation (ILO) conferences in Geneva, Switzerland.

Politics

He was elected as Kuala Lumpur town councillor and became Transport Union secretary in 1958. In 1959, he was elected Bangsar Member of Parliament. In 1978, David defeated Malaysian Indian Congress strongman, Deputy Minister S. Subramaniam for the Damansara parliament seat.David became Chairman of World Tamil Association in 1984.

He was arrested under the Emergency Ordinance in 1958. He was also arrested under Internal Security Act in 1964, 1969 (after May 13 racial riots) and 1987.

Death

David died in July 2005. He had served the workers for nearly 40 years from 1958 until he fell sick in 1995.

Recognition

The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has called on the Selangor state government to name a road after veteran trade unionist, the late V. David, in appreciation of his lifelong struggle to fight for workers' rights.

MTUC vice-president A. Balasubramaniam said there was already a precedent when Jalan 222 here was named after P. P. Narayanan, another noteworthy trade unionist. He said David deserved the honour because he served the workers for nearly 40 years from 1958 until he fell sick in 1995.

Cuepacs secretary-general Ahmad Shah Mohd Zin supported the proposal, saying union leaders should also be recognised "for their struggles and sacrifices in improving the lives of helpless workers."

References

• MTUC proposes road to be named after union leader, The Star, July 12, 2009.

Persondata
Name	V. David
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	26 August 1932
Place of birth
Date of death	10 July 2005
Place of death