According to the report, he is said to be in a stable condition but his family members are complaining that they are not being allowed to visit him. Only Jeyakumar’s wife has been allowed to visit him so far.
On 25th of June, Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj was among 30 Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members arrested in relation to the upcoming July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally. They were then released and rearrested on July 2 under Emergency Ordinance 1969 for being a national threat.
After his first arrest,Jeyakumar was admitted to a hospital in Penang over his heart condition.
According to The Nut Graph:
In the 1999 general election, Jeyakumar contested unsuccessfully under the DAP banner against incumbent MIC candidate Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu in a three-cornered fight that included Malaysian Democratic Party candidate Mohamad Asri Othman.
In the 2004 elections, Jeyakumar again contested unsuccessfully against Samy Vellu but under the PKR banner. Also contesting the seat then in a three-cornered fight was DAP candidate Sanmugam Ponmugam Ponnan.
Jeyakumar is a member of the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) but was elected to Parliament on the ticket of the People's Justice Party in the Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition.
This is a man who has demonstrated much passion to serve the people and one who has soldiered on to realize his ambition to serve the rakyat.
Personally, I have only met MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj once at a forum on health care and was very impressed by his sincere love and desire to serve the people. Coming from a Christian family devoted to social work, it is no surprise that he is utterly devoted to humanitarian causes.
In 1972 and 1973, his mother Datin Seri Elizabeth Devaraj was my Geography teacher in MGS Penang while his sisters Sheila was my senior while Prema (Programme director at the Women’s Centre for Change in Penang) was my junior. In the mid 1980's, I worked with his mom, aunt (Mrs Mary Paul) and cousin in women's issues. Datin Seri E Devaraj is such a passionate woman who is so driven to improve the lot of women in our country. She has left a legacy with her immense contribution towards the Young Women Christian Association, Children Protection Society, and the Home for Single Mothers. Many in Penang are well aware of his father's fantastic contributions in hospice work. Datuk Seri T Devaraj is the CEO and Medical Director of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia (Penang branch).
If ever there was a saint in Malaysia, it is Dr Michael J Devaraj - a selfless soul from a well-to-do background but who lives with so much humility. Walking in the footsteps of his parents, MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar comes forth as a selfless man who has put others first.
Martin Vengadasan (The Star) was spot on when he wrote:
The man doesn’t just talk the talk, he lives it: One of the common sights in Sungai Siput is that of Dr Jeyakumar and his wife, R. Moharani, driving around in a beat-up car doing social work on the days when he isn’t busy as a medical practitioner (he specialised in internal medicine).I sincerely hope that God's grace and healing touch will be upon MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj and that he will recover from whatever ailment he is facing. May there be a miracle and may the authorities concerned release him and the others as soon as possible.
“I think my car is not so beat-up, but there is some truth to that. I met my wife as part of the struggle. As students in Universiti Malaya in 1977, we took part in an anak angkat (adoption) programme in Sungai Siput, and that’s how we met.”
Moharani is now a full-time volunteer with PSM and secretary of its Buntong branch (in Perak) as well as being a member of the party’s central committee. The couple have a 15-year-old son.
*I am writing as a concerned Malaysian and am not a member of Parti Sosialis Malaysia.
Starmandala Michael Jeyakumar is the most angelic of all politicians. Entirely counterproductive and downright dumb of Khalid Abu Bakar (deputy IGP) to take out his spleen on Jeyakuamr, just because the Sungai Siput MP refused to be intimidated by Khalid (then Selangor CPO) up over the Jerit rally in 2008. If Hisham doesn't drop all charges against the PSM group and release them all unconditionally within the next few days, there will be SERIOUS OUTRAGE throughout the world.