PETALING JAYA: Tributes have poured in for the late Tan Sri Devaki Krishnan, who breathed her last on Jan 20 at age 100.
Known as the “Grand Dame of Malaysian Indian politics”, she was the first woman to be elected to public office.
Her grandson Datuk R. Ramanan, who is Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister, said Devaki was not only the pillar of strength to her family but also the nation.
“She was truly an iron lady who guided us and gave us wisdom. She also taught us the values of living life. She will be very much missed,” the Sungai Buloh MP said when contacted yesterday.
Ramanan said the funeral rites will begin at 11am tomorrow at 118, Jalan Berhala, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.
The cremation will take place at the Malaysian Indian Ceylon Crematorium at Jalan Loke Yew at 2pm.
Ramanan said that Devaki passed away at her home at 8pm on Saturday due to old age.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the late Devaki’s contribution and sacrifices would be remembered forever.
“I am saddened by the demise of Tan Sri Devaki Krishnan.
“Devaki was an important figure in the struggle to elevate women’s stature in leadership and politics,” he said in a Facebook post.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said Devaki’s leadership was exemplary in shaping policies and initiatives that paved the way for equality and women’s empowerment.
“She once played a key role in advocating for amendments to the Guardianship of Infants Act, allowing single mothers to care for their children.
“The impact of her work resonates not only within the government but also in the hearts of those whose lives she touched,” she said.
Among the significant awards she received during her lifetime were the Serving Sister of St John Award by Queen Elizabeth II, Tokoh Wanita Award, and Tun Fatimah Award for her contributions to women’s empowerment and welfare services recognised both globally and locally, Nancy said.
MIC president Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran conveyed his condolences to Devaki’s family in a Facebook post.
“My deepest condolences to the family and friends of Tan Sri Devaki Krishnan, the first woman to be elected to public office in Malaysia,” he said.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul, Bandar Tun Razak MP Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa were among those who paid tribute to Devaki.
Devaki was born in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan, on March 11, 1923.
She won the Bangsar seat for Datuk Onn Jaafar’s Independence of Malaya Party in the Kuala Lumpur Municipal Council elections in 1952 and retained the seat for a second term in 1955.
She became a lifetime member of MIC and was instrumental in the establishment of the party’s women’s wing. She was appointed as MIC secretary in 1975 and Wanita MIC deputy chief in 1984.
She also contested as an Alliance candidate for the Sentul parliamentary seat in 1959 but lost.
In civil defence, Devaki was in charge of the medical clinic at Stadium Merdeka during the May 13 riots, caring for some 3,500 victims and the homeless.
Besides Onn, she also worked with other eminent figures during the independence and nation-building era such as Yong Shook Lin, Tun Omar Ong Yoke Lin, Puan Sri Putih Mariah, Tun Fatimah Hashim, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun VT Sambanthan, Tun Tan Cheng Lock and Tun Tan Siew Sin to rally for the Merdeka movement and develop the concept of a Malaysian society.
She was married to P. Krishnan, who died in 1998.
