SHAH ALAM: The new Kuala Langat MP, Dr Xavier Jayakumar is very much a people’s leader. His ability to engage comes with the commitment and passion he has in serving people both young and old, from all walks of life.
Even before he joined politics, Dr Jayakumar was a member of the Rotary Club in Klang (now a life member) and Chairman of the Klang Educational Welfare Research Foundation for many years. The 65-year-old dentist has been involved in various issues affecting his constituents, some of which include their personal problems. He has also been very vocal on mat ters per taining to water issues and more recently on Selangor’s water restructuring exercise.
Dr Jayakumar studied at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St Michael (formerly St Michael’s Institution), in Ipoh, Perak. He then pursued his tertiary studies at the College of Dental Surgery in Manipal, India where he obtained his Bachelor of Dental Surgery.
The PKR vice-president contested in the 12th General Election (GE12) in 2008 and won the Andalas State Assembly seat with a 10,203-vote majority. He was appointed as a State Executive Councilor in charge of Health and Plantation Affairs during the tenure of former Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim in 2008. Dr Jayakumar in GE13 defended again the Seri Andalas state seat which has since been renamed the Sungai Kandis constituency.
He was fielded as the candidate for the Kuala Langat parliamentary seat for the first time in GE 14 last month, and won with a surprising majority of 17,112 votes, defeating BN candidate Shahril Sufian Hamdan and PAS candidate Datuk Dr Yahya Baba.
A loving father, Dr Jayakumar has three children. His daughter Sangeetha, 35, is PKR’s national vice-youth chief. With a change in government, the dentist is confident of bringing about better outcomes for his constituents. – Bernama
