History Textbook Mistakenly Referred EEC Thuraisingam As VT Sambanthan

The revision book referred to the first members of the Member System of Cabinet government introduced by Sir Henry Gurney in 1951.

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VT Sambanthan is one of the signatories of the 1957 Merdeka Agreement. He was Malaysia’s first labour minister before Merdeka. He was also the first MP for Sungai Siput for 18 years from 1955 and the fifth president of MIC.

In other words, he was an important figure in the country’s history.

It’s understandable why the late VT Sambanthan’s daughter, Deva Kunjari, was shocked when a Standard Five history revision book mentioned her father’s name but used a photograph of EEC ‘Clough’ Thuraisingam.

The page in the book referred to the Member System of Cabinet government introduced by Sir Henry Gurney, paving the way for Malaya’s road to self-governance in 1951.

VT Sambanthan was not part of the Member System but EEC ‘Clough’ Thuraisingam was and the latter held the position of Malaya’s first education minister.

I am appalled, not only do they address my father without his title, but they have placed someone else’s photo. And this is a textbook. The publishers and MoE (education ministry) will be hearing from me. God knows what other inaccuracies this book contains.
Deva Kunjari, the daughter of the late VT Sambanthan, wrote on Facebook.

The first members of Malaya’s self-governing Cabinet in its early stages before Merdeka were: