# Ethnic Indians in the Cabinet of Malaysia

Malaysian Indians have served in the Cabinet of Malaysia since independence and continue to do so.
Tun Samy Vellu is one of the longest serving ministers in the Cabinet of Malaysia. He held the post of Minister of Public Works and Utilities from 1979 to 2008. Following his departure from the cabinet, he was appointed Special Envoy of Infrastructure to India and South Asia.
Gobind Singh Deo is the first Malaysian Sikh cabinet minister.

## List of ministers

This is a complete list of ethnic Indians who have served as Ministers in the Cabinet of Malaysia, ordered by seniority. This list includes ethnic Indians who served in the past and who continue to serve in the present.
| Party | Name | Cabinet | Portfolio | Year elected | Year left | Constituency |
| Alliance(MIC) | V. T. Sambanthan | First Rahman Cabinet | Minister of Labour | 1955 | 1957 | Kinta Utara |
| Alliance(MIC) | V. T. Sambanthan | First Rahman Cabinet | Minister of Health | 1957 | 1959 | Kinta Utara |
| Alliance(MIC) | V. T. Sambanthan | Second Rahman Cabinet | Minister of Works, Post and Telecommunications | 1959 | 1964 | Sungei Siput |
| Alliance(MIC) | V. T. Sambanthan | Third Rahman Cabinet | Minister of Works, Post and Telecommunications | 1964 | 1969 | Sungei Siput |
| Alliance(MIC) | V. T. Sambanthan | Fourth Rahman Cabinet | Minister of Works, Post and Telecommunications | 1969 | 1969 | Sungei Siput |
| BN-MIC | V. T. Sambanthan | First Razak Cabinet | Minister of Works, Post and Telecommunications | 1970 | | Sungei Siput |
| BN-MIC | V. T. Sambanthan | First Razak Cabinet | Minister of National Unity | | 1974 | Sungei Siput |
| BN-MIC | V. Manickavasagam | Third Rahman Cabinet | Minister of Labour | 1964 | 1969 | Klang |
| BN-MIC | V. Manickavasagam | Fourth Rahman Cabinet | Minister of Transport | 1969 | | |
| BN-MIC | V. Manickavasagam | First Razak Cabinet | Minister of Labour and Manpower | 1970 | 1974 | |
| BN-MIC | V. Manickavasagam | Second Razak Cabinet | Minister of Communications | 1974 | 1976 | Pelabohan Kelang |
| BN-MIC | V. Manickavasagam | First Hussein Cabinet | Minister of Communications | 1976 | 1978 | Pelabohan Kelang |
| BN-MIC | V. Manickavasagam | Second Hussein Cabinet | Minister of Transport | 1978 | | Pelabohan Kelang |
| BN-MIC | Samy Vellu | Second Hussein Cabinet | Minister of Works and Public Amenities | | 1981 | Sungei Siput |
| BN-MIC | Samy Vellu | First Mahathir Cabinet | Minister of Works and Public Amenities | 1981 | 1982 | Sungei Siput |
| BN-MIC | Samy Vellu | Second Mahathir Cabinet | Minister of Works and Public Amenities | 1982 | | Sungei Siput |
| BN-MIC | Samy Vellu | Second Mahathir Cabinet | Minister of Works | | 1986 | Sungei Siput |
| BN-MIC | Samy Vellu | Third Mahathir Cabinet | Minister of Works | 1986 | 1989 | Sungei Siput |
| BN-MIC | Samy Vellu | Third Mahathir Cabinet | Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Posts | 1989 | 1990 | Sungei Siput |
| BN-MIC | Samy Vellu | Fourth Mahathir Cabinet | Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Posts | 1990 | 1995 | Sungei Siput |
| BN-MIC | Samy Vellu | Fifth Mahathir Cabinet | Minister of Works | 1995 | 1999 | Sungei Siput |
| BN-MIC | Samy Vellu | Sixth Mahathir Cabinet | Minister of Works | 1999 | 2003 | Sungei Siput |
| BN-MIC | Samy Vellu | First Abdullah Cabinet | Minister of Works | 2003 | 2004 | Sungei Siput |
| BN-MIC | Samy Vellu | Second Abdullah Cabinet | Minister of Works | 2004 | 2008 | Sungei Siput |
| BN-MIC | Subramaniam Sathasivam | Third Abdullah Cabinet | Minister of Human Resources | 2008 | 2009 | Segamat |
| BN-MIC | Subramaniam Sathasivam | First Najib Cabinet | Minister of Human Resources | 2009 | 2013 | Segamat |
| BN-MIC | Subramaniam Sathasivam | Second Najib Cabinet | Minister of Health | 2013 | 2018 | Segamat |
| BN-MIC | Palanivel Govindasamy | First Najib Cabinet | Minister in the Prime Minister's Department | 2011 | 2013 | Senator |
| BN-MIC | Palanivel Govindasamy | Second Najib Cabinet | Minister of Natural Resources and Environment | 2013 | 2015 | Senator |
| PH-DAP | Kulasegaran Murugeson | Seventh Mahathir Cabinet | Minister of Human Resources | 2018 | 2020 | Ipoh Barat |
| PH-DAP | Gobind Singh Deo | Seventh Mahathir Cabinet | Minister of Communications and Multimedia | 2018 | 2020 | Puchong |
| PH-PKR | Xavier Jayakumar | Seventh Mahathir Cabinet | Minister of Water, Land and Natural Resources | 2018 | 2020 | Kuala Langat |
| HINDRAF | Waytha Moorthy Ponnusamy | Seventh Mahathir Cabinet | Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (National Unity and Social Wellbeing) | 2018 | 2020 | Senator |
| BN-MIC | Saravanan Murugan | Muhyiddin Cabinet | Minister of Human Resources | 2020 | 2021 | Tapah |
| BN-MIC | Saravanan Murugan | Ismail Sabri Cabinet | Minister of Human Resources | 2021 | 2022 | Tapah |
| PH-DAP | Sivakumar Varatharaju Naidu | Anwar Ibrahim Cabinet | Minister of Human Resources | 2022 | 2023 | Batu Gajah |
| PH-DAP | Gobind Singh Deo | Anwar Ibrahim Cabinet | Minister of Digital | 2023 | Serving | Damansara |

## List of Deputy Ministers

| Party | Name | Cabinet | Portfolio | Year elected | Year left | Constituency |
| Alliance(MIC) | V. Manickavasagam | Second Rahman Cabinet | Assistant Minister of Labour | 1961 | 1962 | Klang |
| Alliance(MIC) | V. Manickavasagam | Second Rahman Cabinet | Assistant Minister of Labour and Social Welfare | 1962 | 1962 | Klang |
| BN-MIC | Athi Nahappan | First Hussein Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Law | | | Senator |
| BN-MIC | Subramaniam Sinniah | First Hussein Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Local Government and Federal Territories | | 1978 | Damansara |
| BN-MIC | Subramaniam Sinniah | Second Mahathir Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government | 1982 | 1986 | Segamat |
| BN-MIC | Subramaniam Sinniah | Third Mahathir Cabinet | | 1986 | 1990 | Segamat |
| BN-MIC | Subramaniam Sinniah | Fifth Mahathir Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumerism | 1995 | 1999 | Segamat |
| BN-MIC | Subramaniam Sinniah | Sixth Mahathir Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumerism | 1999 | 2003 | Segamat |
| BN-MIC | Subramaniam Sinniah | First Abdullah Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumerism | | | Segamat |
| BN-MIC | K. Pathmanaban | First Hussein Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Labour and Manpower | | | Telok Kemang |
| BN-MIC | K. Pathmanaban | Second Hussein Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Labour and Manpower | 1978 | 1981 | Telok Kemang |
| BN-MIC | K. Pathmanaban | First Mahathir Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Health | 1981 | 1981 | Telok Kemang |
| BN-MIC | K. Pathmanaban | Second Mahathir Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Health | 1982 | 1986 | Telok Kemang |
| BN-MIC | K. Pathmanaban | Third Mahathir Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Health | 1986 | | Telok Kemang |
| BN-MIC | K. Pathmanaban | Third Mahathir Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Human Resources | | 1990 | Telok Kemang |
| BN-MIC | Samy Vellu | Second Hussein Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government | 1978 | | Sungei Siput |
| BN-MIC | Prof Dr T. Marimuthu | Fourth Mahathir Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Agriculture | 1993 | 1995 | Telok Kemang |
| BN-MIC | M. Mahalingam | Fourth Mahathir Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Human Resources | 1993 | 1995 | Kapar |
| BN-MIC | K Kumaran | Fifth Mahathir Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Rural Development | 1995 | 1999 | Tapah |
| BN-PPP | M. Kayveas | First Abdullah Cabinet | Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department | 2003 | 2004 | Senator |
| BN-PPP | M. Kayveas | Second Abdullah Cabinet | Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department | 2004 | 2008 | Taiping |
| BN-MIC | Palanivel Govindasamy | First Abdullah Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Rural Development | 2003 | 2004 | Hulu Selangor |
| BN-MIC | Palanivel Govindasamy | Second Abdullah Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development | 2004 | 2008 | Hulu Selangor |
| BN-MIC | Palanivel Govindasamy | First Najib Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities | 2010 | 2011 | Senator |
| BN-MIC | S. Veerasingam | Second Abdullah Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumerism | 2004 | 2008 | Tapah |
| BN-MIC | S. Sothinathan | Second Abdullah Cabinet | Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Environment | 2004 | 2008 | Telok Kemang |
| BN-MIC | Saravanan Murugan | Third Abdullah Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Federal Territories | 2008 | 2009 | Tapah |
| BN-MIC | Saravanan Murugan | First Najib Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing | 2009 | 2013 | Tapah |
| BN-MIC | Saravanan Murugan | Second Najib Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports | 2013 | 2018 | Tapah |
| BN-MIC | Devamany S. Krishnasamy | Third Abdullah Cabinet | Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department | 2008 | 2009 | Cameron Highlands |
| BN-MIC | Devamany S. Krishnasamy | First Najib Cabinet | Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department | 2009 | 2013 | Cameron Highlands |
| BN-MIC | Devamany S. Krishnasamy | Second Najib Cabinet | Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department | 2016 | 2018 | Senator |
| BN-PPP | Murugiah Thopasamy | Third Abdullah Cabinet | Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department | 2008 | 2009 | Senator |
| BN-PPP | Murugiah Thopasamy | First Najib Cabinet | Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department | 2009 | 2013 | |
| BN-GERAKAN | A. Kohilan Pillay | Third Abdullah Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities | 2008 | 2009 | Senator |
| BN-GERAKAN | A. Kohilan Pillay | First Najib Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs | 2009 | 2013 | Senator |
| BN-PPP | Maglin Dennis d' Cruz | First Najib Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Information, Communications and Culture | 2010 | 2013 | Senator |
| BN-HINDRAF | Waytha Moorthy Ponnusamy | Second Najib Cabinet | Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department | 2013 | 2014 | Senator |
| BN-MIC | Kamalanathan Panchanathan | Second Najib Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Education | 2013 | 2015 | Hulu Selangor |
| BN-myPPP | Loga Bala Mohan Jaganathan | Second Najib Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Federal Territories | 2013 | 2018 | Senator |
| PH-PKR | Sivarasa Rasiah | Seventh Mahathir Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Rural Development | 2018 | 2020 | Sungai Buloh |
| PN-PPBM | Edmund Santhara Kumar Ramanaidu | Muhyiddin Cabinet | Depity Minister of Federal Territories | 2020 | 2021 | Segamat |
| PN-PPBM | Edmund Santhara Kumar Ramanaidu | Ismail Sabri Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture | 2021 | 2022 | Segamat |
| PH-DAP | Ramkarpal Singh Karpal | Anwar Ibrahim Cabinet | Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) | 2022 | 2023 | Bukit Gelugor |
| PH-DAP | Kulasegaran Murugeson | Anwar Ibrahim Cabinet | Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) | 2023 | Serving | Ipoh Barat |
| PH-PKR | Saraswathy Kandasami | Anwar Ibrahim Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives | 2022 | 2023 | Senator |
| PH-PKR | Ramanan Ramakrishnan | Anwar Ibrahim Cabinet | Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives | 2023 | Serving | Sungai Buloh |
| PH-PKR | Saraswathy Kandasami | Anwar Ibrahim Cabinet | Deputy Minister of National Unity | 2023 | Serving | Senator |