An open letter to Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein:
We, members of the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations of Malaysia, representing more than 5,000 doctors nationwide are writing to your kind office to consider our appeal for the release of Dr D Jeyakumar.
We are extremely concerned at the continued detention of our colleague Dr Jeyakumar whom we all recognise and acknowledge as a law-abiding competent, kind and diligent doctor. His public service record is exemplary and to the very best of our knowledge he is certainly not a threat to our society.
Dr Jeyakumar comes from an illustrious family with an undying passion for loyal public service to Malaysia. TJ Danaraj, his uncle, was the founding dean of the University of Malaya faculty of medicine. His father, TP Devaraj, was a long serving senior consultant physician at the Penang Hospital and is presently continuing his charitable work by being head of Hospice Penang.
Dr Jeyakumar himself has been known for his social work since his days as a medical student when he volunteered his time giving tuition to poor children from squatter and estate families. He subsequently served with the Ministry of Health spending considerable time in rural postings all over the country and selflessly serving the rakyat.
Even in his present private practice, Dr Jeyakumar’s patients come mainly from the underprivileged and lower socio-economic class. He is well known for his capacity for charity and kindness for all under his care regardless of ethnicity and religion.
Examination of his track record will thus clearly testify that this good doctor has dedicated his entire career in continuing his family tradition of meritorious public service for the sick and the poor of this country.
Such manifestation of immense social conscience and the highest ethical professional duty to the country should be honoured. His loyalty and dedication for the welfare of the rakyat of Malaysia is incomparably beyond reproach and beyond question.
In his career as a MP, he ran his campaign honourably and peacefully. He is not known to advocate anything that is illegal or unlawful. This is a man of integrity who is law-abiding and honest. He is widely loved by his patients and the rakyat and we would like to move our appeal based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
Sir, it is with trepidation that we, as fellow doctors are writing to vouch for Dr Jeyakumar’s loyalty to the nation, a true doctor dedicated to the welfare of his patients and an honourable MP. Indeed it would be a great loss to the nation to deny him his freedom and to deprive the country of his services and the thousands of patients that so desperately need his care and expertise as their doctor and chest physician.
We, the undersigned appeal to you to use your good office and kind inherent discretion to have the detention order against Dr Jeyakumar lifted which will go a long way to show your strong objective leadership.
Likewise, we also appeal to your good office to extend this kind gesture to any others who have been detained under similar circumstances. Sir, in exercising your favorable discretion under these present difficult circumstances, the rakyat will no doubt respond positively to your political acumen and astuteness.
We believe that his release would be received with great joy by the rakyat as it will testify that under your watch, our government is indeed capable of being fair, caring and wise.
Dr Steven KW Chow is president of the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations Malaysia. The open letter is sent on behalf of:
Council, Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations Malaysia
President and Members of Council of:
Private Medical Society of Kedah and Perlis
Penang Medical Practitioners’ Society
Perak Medical Practitioners’ Society
Private Medical Practitioners’ Association Selangor/Kuala Lumpur
Private Medical Practitioners; Society Pahang
Private Medical Practitioners’ Society Sarawak
