newsmaker n. One whose actions consistently make news headlines, who effects the course of public discourse and creates an impact in Malaysian politics, for better or worse.

He has consistently turned to the gods for succour. However, even they appeared to look away at a critical point and he was left teetering on the very brink of the political precipice.

Malaysians watched with bated breath to see if he would finally fall but, amazingly, he regained his footing and has stubbornly continued to ride his luck.

It seems the country is stuck with one of its longest-serving ministers. For his consistent forays into the media, parliament and just about any public forum where bravado carries the day, malaysiakini declares Works Minister S Samy Vellu its ‘Newsmaker of the Year’.

In view of the many escapes he has enjoyed, this symbolic award comes in a teflon-coated version this year.

Veteran politician Samy Vellu , 69, has had a horror ride through 2004. Controversy after costly controversy tailed him during the‘Year of the Monkey’ and his woes grew to a point that he lamented that “even God does not like me”.

That was significant, coming from the man who took the phrase ‘act of God’ to lengths that stress-tested credulity to the max. But then, he probably had cause to feel aggrieved.

The list included a number of civil engineering disasters - structural damage to the pillars of a newly-opened flyover; serious fungal problems in a just-opened hospital; a defective multi-storey building; and shoddy construction of school computer labs.

For a change, the nation did not have to wait the pre-requisite ‘x’ number of years to detect problems or to make disapproving sounds over ‘third world’ maintenance standards. No, these was brand new infrastructure and technology that failed the tahan lasak test instantly.

For old time’s sake, there was the odd closure or two of major highways, not to mention design flaws that had to be hastily corrected because even fellow-politicians felt irked enough to complain.

If Samy Vellu had done an Internet search to find out what Malaysians were saying about him, this refrain (sung to‘London Bridge is Falling Down’) would have popped up right away on chat groups and blogs:

Kepong bridge is falling down,

Falling down, falling down,

My fair Samy....

It has, at least, kept the creative juices flowing among those who crave freedom of expression in what is otherwise a repressed society.

The minister is not new to being lampooned. In the 1980s, Aiyoyo Samy briefly made it into the local pop charts for pretty much the same reasons. In addition, ‘ aiyoyo ’ has entered our lexicon of essential terms for cross-cultural bonding.

Series of fiascos

But back to the present. In July, Samy Vellu’s comfortable post-election ride suddenly hurtled downhill, haunted by the spectre of computer laboratories having to be abandoned in east coast schools.

These were meant to have jump-started a move to propel students into the technological era. Instead, the buildings were built so badly that the structures were riddled with cracks.

When the RM140 million debacle hit the headlines, the predictable finger-pointing began. Samy Vellu found himself in the full glare of the spotlight, for all that he had Education Minister Musa Mohamed for company.

Opposition politicians gleefully went for the jugular, but apparently did not inflict much damage for he survived to fight another day, unlike the hapless Musa.

All too soon, screams for the minister’s head reverberated once again when a severe fungus problem was discovered in the RM557.8 million Sultan Ismail Hospital in Johor Baru.

The 704-bed facility had to be shut down on Sept 26. It has since been re-opened following a RM8 million clean-up, but not before Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek vented his feelings.

Samy Vellu’s annus horibilis was to continue. In August, cracks appeared on 31 of the 33 pillars holding up the flyover along the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur. The RM238.8 million project had been opened in 2002.

This time around, colleagues in Barisan Nasional lost patience and joined in the witch-hunt to demand an explanation in Parliament.

Worse, they echoed the chorus of calls from opposition parties and non-governmental organisations for his resignation - or failing that, his removal from office - as well as for investigations by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA).

He met their temerity with typical insouciance: “Whoever wants to report, please report to the ACA... want to report to the police, please go ahead and report to the police. We will not stop anyone."

Calls for errant contractors to be blacklisted were summarily dismissed with the comment that this could leave the government with barely anyone to call up in the cause of nation ‘building’.

Samy Vellu did some finger-pointing of his own at the Finance Ministry’s Project Management Consultants, for encroachment into his ministry’s jurisdiction over public projects.

The 1.7km stretch of the MRR2 was re-opened without fanfare on Dec 7, following remedial works.

Brief respite

In October, Samy Vellu received the clearest indication yet that the gods were not pleased. A mudslide along a section of the North-South highway near Ipoh brought traffic to a standstill, but luckily did not cause fatalities. But in the debris lay the shattered remnants of the minister’s short-lived peace of mind.

The Gua Tempurung mudslide prompted him to look up to the heavens and wonder if this is what divine desertion means.

Once again, the opposition bayed for his blood , but the affected stretch was cleared, repaired and opened in time for the Deepavali and Hari Raya celebrations. The trade-off was a free lesson on the difference between a ‘mudslide’ and ‘landslide’.

Next came the controversy surrounding the delay in the construction of the Matrade (Malaysian External Trade Development Corporation) building.

The 24-storey RM167 million building was slated for completion on Feb 10, 1997. Defects were discovered in the building, with repairs to cost an estimated RM28.4 million. A daily fine of RM40,000 has been imposed on the contractor since Jan 4, 1999.

Memories of these episodes quickly faded, however, following the announcement that toll charges on the North-South highway will go up by 10 percent from Jan 1.

Howls of protest have been dealt with in inimical Samy-style, with a well-rehearsed argument pulled out - if motorists don’t pay, the government will have to... and by the way, the increase has already been approved.

The opposition has accused him of looking out for the highway concessionaire, Plus Expressways Bhd, rather than for the public interest. The minister knows only too well that the hullaballoo will die down and that everyone will adjust in time.

But having been tarred so many times over the year, Samy Vellu must be hoping - and praying - that he will not be feathered come the ‘Year of the Rooster’.

Newsmaker 2003 - Husam Musa

Newsmaker 2002 - Zainuddin Maidin

Newsmaker 2001 - Rais Yatim