Sivarasa Rasiah
Encyclopedia
Sivarasa Rasiahor also known as R.Sivarasa is a prominent Malaysian politician, lawyer and human rights activist. He is co-founder of Suara Rakyat Malaysia or Suaram (a human rights NGO) and vice-president of the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat
(People’s Justice Party). In the 2008 general election
, Sivarasa was elected as the Member of Parliament for Subang
, defeating his opponent by a 6,000 vote majority.
, Siva's first degree was actually in genetics
.
Reminiscing on his early days in an interview with the New Straits Times
, Siva said, "I was trying to get into medicine after high school in Victoria Institution
but didn't make the grade. Form Five was great but I guess in Form Six, there were many distractions. So instead I went into genetics in Universiti Malaya and graduated with first class honours. Six months into my Master’s I realised that this was not my cup of tea and was already looking at other options.”
He then applied for a Rhodes scholarship
to pursue law at Oxford University. After completing his law degree and the Bar in Britain
, Siva took a year off and went to Germany
where he spent most of his time in libraries there reading. He worked for a bit after that in London
before returning to Malaysia on his 30th birthday.
that he got interested in human rights and “became involved with union workers and stuff like that there”.
His first involvement with an NGO was in 1997 when he got involved with a women's group called Citizens Against Rape. Siva got arrested twice during the 1998 Reformasi period
but shrugs it off as part and parcel of the job. He later joined Parti Keadilan Rakyat
.
In the 2008 general election
, Sivarasa was elected as the Member of Parliament for Subang
, defeating his opponent by a 6,000 vote majority.
Although Sivarasa has had brushes with the police, both his father and his older brother were members of the force. His father was the registrar of the police force and his older brother was a senior police officer.
This lawyer-cum-politician is a cancer survivor who lost his voice for almost a year due to thyroid cancer
which damaged a nerve on his vocal cords. He had to speak with a little boom box and a speaker for a while due to this. Currently he has regained his voice but he says, “I can't sing or shout, but at least I still can talk.”
He is also an avid guitar
player.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
The People's Justice Party , often known simply as KeADILan) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party...
(People’s Justice Party). In the 2008 general election
Malaysian general election, 2008
The 12th Malaysian general election was held on March 8, 2008, in accordance with Malaysian laws for national elections, which states that a general election must be held no later than five years subsequent to the previous elections; the previous general election was held in 2004...
, Sivarasa was elected as the Member of Parliament for Subang
Subang, Petaling
Subang is an affluent residential town located in between Shah Alam and Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. It comprises Kampung Baru Subang, a very well known village in the Klang Valley and the internationally renowned Saujana Golf Resort...
, defeating his opponent by a 6,000 vote majority.
Early life
Though today he may be one of the top lawyers in Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Siva's first degree was actually in genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
.
Reminiscing on his early days in an interview with the New Straits Times
New Straits Times
The New Straits Times is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print , having been founded as The Straits Times in 1845, and was reestablished as the "New Straits Times" in 1965. The paper served as Malaysia's only broadsheet format English...
, Siva said, "I was trying to get into medicine after high school in Victoria Institution
Victoria Institution
Victoria Institution is a premier secondary school for boys and one of the oldest schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The school is widely known as V.I. and a student of Victoria Institution bears the name Victorian....
but didn't make the grade. Form Five was great but I guess in Form Six, there were many distractions. So instead I went into genetics in Universiti Malaya and graduated with first class honours. Six months into my Master’s I realised that this was not my cup of tea and was already looking at other options.”
He then applied for a Rhodes scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
to pursue law at Oxford University. After completing his law degree and the Bar in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Siva took a year off and went to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
where he spent most of his time in libraries there reading. He worked for a bit after that in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
before returning to Malaysia on his 30th birthday.
Activism and politics
It was while he was in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that he got interested in human rights and “became involved with union workers and stuff like that there”.
His first involvement with an NGO was in 1997 when he got involved with a women's group called Citizens Against Rape. Siva got arrested twice during the 1998 Reformasi period
Reformasi (Malaysia)
The Reformasi movement in Malaysia was initiated by Anwar Ibrahim and his supporters shortly after he was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister in 1998. It consisted of several mass demonstrations and rallies against the long-standing Barisan Nasional coalition government, and continued until Anwar was...
but shrugs it off as part and parcel of the job. He later joined Parti Keadilan Rakyat
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
The People's Justice Party , often known simply as KeADILan) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party...
.
In the 2008 general election
Malaysian general election, 2008
The 12th Malaysian general election was held on March 8, 2008, in accordance with Malaysian laws for national elections, which states that a general election must be held no later than five years subsequent to the previous elections; the previous general election was held in 2004...
, Sivarasa was elected as the Member of Parliament for Subang
Subang, Petaling
Subang is an affluent residential town located in between Shah Alam and Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. It comprises Kampung Baru Subang, a very well known village in the Klang Valley and the internationally renowned Saujana Golf Resort...
, defeating his opponent by a 6,000 vote majority.
Personal life
He is married to Ann James, a prominent personality in the Malaysian theatre scene. Incidentally, he met his wife at a demonstration as well. "It was during Operasi Lalang and she was there too. We were kind off thrown together and that's when it all happened. After a long courtship, we finally got married in 1993," he revealed in the NST interview.Although Sivarasa has had brushes with the police, both his father and his older brother were members of the force. His father was the registrar of the police force and his older brother was a senior police officer.
This lawyer-cum-politician is a cancer survivor who lost his voice for almost a year due to thyroid cancer
Thyroid cancer
Thyroid neoplasm is a neoplasm or tumor of the thyroid. It can be a benign tumor such as thyroid adenoma, or it can be a malignant neoplasm , such as papillary, follicular, medullary or anaplastic thyroid cancer. Most patients are 25 to 65 years of age when first diagnosed; women are more affected...
which damaged a nerve on his vocal cords. He had to speak with a little boom box and a speaker for a while due to this. Currently he has regained his voice but he says, “I can't sing or shout, but at least I still can talk.”
He is also an avid guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
player.