N. Surendran
| Yang Berhormat Tuan N. Surendran MP | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Padang Serai | |
|
Taking office 2013 | |
| Succeeding | N Gobalakrishnan |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
N. Surendran s/o K. Nagarajan Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia |
| Citizenship | Malaysian |
| Political party | People's Justice Party – Pakatan Rakyat |
| Alma mater | University of London |
| Occupation | Member of Parliament |
| Profession | Lawyer and politician |
| Religion | Hinduism |
N. Surendran s/o K. Nagarajan, commonly referred to as N. Surendran, is a Malaysian lawyer and politician. He is the Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the Padang Serai constituency in the state of Kedah and sits in the Parliament as a member of the People's Justice Party (PKR).[1]
Early life, education and legal career
Surendran was born in Kuantan, Pahang and raised in Alor Setar, Kedah. His late father was a postmaster, and he has three siblings.[2] He obtained a Bachelor of Laws from the University of London and was admitted to the Malaysian Bar in 1994.
Surendran practiced as a human rights lawyer, taking on cases of deaths in custody and representing the Hindu Rights Action Force.[3]
Politics
In 2010 Surendran was appointed by Anwar Ibrahim as one of PKR's vice-presidents. The appointment was a surprise: Surendran was not a parliamentarian at the time and his selection was criticised by N. Gobalakrishnan, the then Padang Serai MP who had just lost a ballot for the vice presidency.[4] He remained in the post until 2014, when he was defeated for re-election in a party ballot.[5]
At the 2013 election, Surendran contested the Padang Serai parliamentary seat for the PKR. Gobalakrishnan had won the seat for PKR in the previous election, but left the party to sit on the crossbench soon after his public attack on Surendran's appointment as a party vice-president. Surendran won the seat at the election, defeating four other candidates including Gobalakrishnan. Surendran had expressed surprise, travelling to Padang Serai from his home in Kuala Lumpur to campaign, at the extent of rural poverty there.[6]
In November 2013, Surendran was suspended from the Parliament for six months. The government-dominated Parliament voted to suspend him on the ground of insulting the Speaker of the House of Representatives during a debate about the demolition of Hindu temples.[7] In Jun 2014, Surendran notched up his fourth suspension from the Parliament amidst a debate on the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant.[8] In August 2014, he was twice charged for sedition for criticising the overturning of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's acquittal on sodomy charges and alleging that the Prime Minister, Najib Razak, was "personally responsible" for Anwar's prosecution.[9]
Election results
| Year | Opposition | Votes | Pct | Government | Votes | Pct | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | N. Surendran (PKR) | 34,151 | 54% | Heng Seai Kie (MCA) | 25,714 | 40% | ||
References
- ↑ "House of Representatives". Parliament of Malaysia. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
- ↑ "N. Surendran a/l K. Nagarajan". Demi Rakyat. Parti Keadilan Rakyat. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
- ↑ "Surendran ready to take on Gobala in Padang Serai". Malaysiakini. 12 April 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- ↑ Chooi, Clara (27 December 2010). "Anwar says Surendran qualified for PKR veep post". The Malaysian Insider. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- ↑ Zakiah Koya (1 May 2014). "PKR polls: Azmin leads, Saifuddin and Khalid trail far behind". fz.com. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- 1 2 "Maklumat Terperinci Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum" (in Malay). Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 6 December 2014. Table excludes votes for candidates who finished in third place or lower.
- ↑ "PKR MP Surendran suspended from Parliament for six months". The Malaysian Insider. The Malaysian Insider. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
- ↑ "Pakatan MP's ordered out of Parliament over Lynas". MSN News. Microsoft. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
- ↑ "Drop Surendran's sedition charges before Anwar's sodomy appeal, PKR man repeats". Malay Mail. 18 October 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.