Karnail Singh Nijhar

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri

| name = Karnail Singh

| native_name = {{nobold|ਕਰਨੈਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਨੇਜਾਰ}}

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=MYS|size=100%|PSM|SPMJ|JMN}}

|image =

|imagesize = 150px |

| caption =

| birth_name = Karnail Singh Nijhar s/o Amar Singh

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1936|07|02|df=y}}

| birth_place = Pengkalan Hulu, Perak, British Malaya (now Malaysia)

| residence =

| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|6|15|1936|07|02|df=y}}

| death_place = Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

| resting_place = Xiao En Memorial Park, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan

| office1 = Parliamentary Secretary of International Trade and Industry

| term_start1 = 1990

| term_end1 = 1991

| predecessor1 = Himself

| successor1 = Subramaniam Sinniah

| office2 = Parliamentary Secretary of Trade and Industry

| term_start2 = 1989

| term_end2 = 1990

| predecessor2 =

| successor2 = Himself

| office3 = Faction represented in Dewan Rakyat

| subterm3 = 1999–2008

| suboffice3 = Barisan Nasional

| office5 = Faction represented in Dewan Negara

| subterm5 = 1985–1991

| suboffice5 = Barisan Nasional

| citizenship = {{flagicon|Malaysia}} Malaysian

| party = Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC)

| otherparty = Barisan Nasional (BN)

| occupation = Member of Parliament

| profession = Politician, economist, educationist and entrepreneur

| relations =

| spouse = Molina Kaur Nijhar

| children = 2

| alma_mater = University Malaya

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

Karnail Singh Nijhar s/o Amar Singh ({{langx|pa|ਕਰਨੈਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਨੇਜਾਰ|Karanaila Sigha Nējāra}}; 2 July 1936 – 15 June 2021) was a Malaysian politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Subang from November 1999 to March 2008 and Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry from 1989 to 1991.{{cite news|url=http://www.northindiatimes.com/news/126/ARTICLE/2070/2009-09-07.html|title=Two Punjabi members in Malaysian Indian Congress|date=7 September 2009|work=North India Times|accessdate=13 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714195232/http://www.northindiatimes.com/news/126/ARTICLE/2070/2009-09-07.html|archive-date=14 July 2011|url-status=dead}} He was a member and had served as Vice-President of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), a component party of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.{{cite news |url=https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/31250/k.s-nijhar-one-of-highest-ranked-Punjabi-sikhs-in-mic-dies-at-85|title=K.S. Nijhar, one of highest-ranked Punjabi Sikhs in MIC, dies at 85|publisher=The Vibes|date=16 June 2021|access-date=17 June 2021}}

Early life and education

Nijhar was born in Pengkalan Hulu, Perak, on 2 July 1936, on a bullock cart somewhere between Kroh and Kelian Intan.{{cite news|date=20 July 2016|title=Memoir angkat semangat setia kawan|language=ms|publisher=Berita Harian|url=https://www.bharian.com.my/bhplus-old/2016/07/175097/memoir-angkat-semangat-setia-kawan|access-date=18 June 2021}}{{Citation | author = Tan Sri Dr K. S. Nijhar| title = The Bullock Cart Boy |publisher=MPH Group Publishing Sdn Bhd | year = 2016 | isbn = 9789674154721 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zx9mDwAAQBAJ&q=K.S.+Nijhar+residence}} His father, Amar Singh, an immigrant from Punjab, moved to the Malaya in 1926 as a labourer in Rahman Hydraulic Tin Mine. Growing up, Nijhar lived in a kampung house without basic amenities and depended on wells for water and Hindu temples for free meals. He never owned a pair of shoes as a kid and was illiterate until the age of nine.{{cite news |url=https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/06/18/ks-nijhar-bullock-cart-boy-to-political-corporate-leader/|title=KS Nijhar: 'Bullock cart boy' to political, corporate leader|publisher=Free Malaysia Today|date=18 June 2021|access-date=18 June 2021}}

While a student at St Xavier's Institution in Penang, he earned money as a ball boy at clubs with tennis courts. He continued to excel at school however, and between 1947 and 1954 received high scores on examinations.

Early career

Before he joined politics as a MIC member in 1974, he was a lecturer in economics at the University of Malaya and one of two Indians with a PhD in economics in Malaysia at the time.{{cn|date=November 2024}} The Malaysian government sought his help for various initiatives during his early years as an academic, such as for the development of "academic staff salaries for Malaysian universities" for the Justice Harun Hashim Commission. Arshad Ayub, director of Institut Teknologi Mara, engaged him as a part-time lecturer and to help develop the curriculum for the school of business administration.

Politics

Nijhar was the highest-ranking Punjabi and Sikh in the MIC, since MIC President V. T. Sambanthan's time in 1955, to hold any national-level portfolios in the Tamil-dominated party even as a Punjabi Sikh who spoke no Tamil.{{cite news |url=https://asiasamachar.com/2016/07/05/former-mic-leader-nijhar-releases-the-bullock-cart-boy/|title=Former MIC leader Nijhar releases 'The Bullock Cart Boy'|publisher=Asia Samachar|date=5 July 2016|access-date=18 June 2021}} He was one of seven MPs from the MIC, causing him to be a minority within a minority. In 1980, began to be a close confidante of then MIC President Samy Velu, he was appointed by as Chairman of the Economic Bureau and Education Bureau of MIC where he had contributed setting-up the MIC's educational arm, Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED). In 1981, he started to gain stature within the MIC, first as a central working committee (CWC) member and later as treasurer-general for nine years, secretary-general for four years, and vice-president for nine years.

He was appointed a Senator in 1985, the first time MIC nominated a Punjabi Sikh for the Senate and the second Punjabi Sikh in Malaysia's history to sit in the Senate, after Senator Paramjit Singh, president of People’s Progressive Party (PPP). He was re-appointed for the second-term Senatorship in 1988. Around this time, he was appointed parliamentary secretary to the ministry of trade and industry during which time he also served as a member of the first National Economic Consultative Council.

In the 1999 Malaysian general election, he joined Karpal Singh of the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) to be one of two Punjabi Sikhs elected in the Parliament. While an MP, he sat on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on National Integration, where he aimed to represent Malays and Indians in Subang and the country. In 2005, he questioned the validity of a memorandum of the DAP Johor State Committee, suggesting that it didn't take into account the view of Malay and Indian communities, and criticized the DAP.{{cite news |url=https://dapmalaysia.org/all-archive/English/2005/Sept05/Bul/bul2813.htm|title=MIC representatives should be rational when dealing with views and opinions from the Opposition on national integration|work=Lau Weng San|publisher=DAP Malaysia|date=9 September 2005|access-date=18 June 2021}} He won the parliamentary seat of Subang in Selangor twice in 1999 general election and 2004 general election before he was dropped as a candidate for the 2008 general election, where the BN candidate replacement for the constituency, S. Murugeson was defeated by the candidate from People's Justice Party (PKR), Sivarasa Rasiah.

Nijhar had resigned as MIC Vice-President following a heated row with party chief Samy Vellu in 2008.{{cite news|url=https://dinmerican.wordpress.com/2008/05/29/finally-nijharmy-friend-and-varsity-mate-resigns-from-malaysian-indian-congress-goodbye-sam/|title=Nijhar quits after row with Samy Vellu|author=Annie Freeda Cruez|date=29 May 2008|work=New Straits Times|via=

Din Merican’s Wordpress|access-date=21 July 2019}} His last position held in CWC, was the MIC Discipline Committee after being replaced by the new MIC President G. Palanivel in 2015.{{cite news|url=https://www.mstar.com.my/lokal/semasa/2015/01/03/mic-umum-setiausaha-agung-baharu|title=MIC Umum Pelantikan Setiausaha Agung, Pengarah Strategi Yang Baharu|author=T. Avineshwaran|date=3 January 2015|work=mStar|language=en|access-date=21 July 2019}}

Business

Nijhar left politics at 72. He had run with his son, Rabin a security company, Cisco (M) Sdn Bhd which he acquired in 1979.{{Citation | url=https://www.pikm.my/member-directory/11016/cisco-m-sdn-bhd/| title=Member Directory: Cisco (M) Sdn Bhd |website=Persatuan Industri Keselamatan Malaysia (PIKM)| year = }}

Personal life

Nijhar married lecturer Molina Kaur Nijhar.{{Citation |url=https://beritappm.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/retired-graduates-from-class-of-79-reunited-with-their-retired-lecturers-after-a-space-of-almost-40-years/|title=Retired Graduates from Class of '79 Reunited with Their Retired Lecturers After a Space of Almost 40 Years|work=akmal ahmat |publisher=Persatuan Pustakawan Malaysia (PPM)-Librarians Association of Malaysia|date=11 May 2017|access-date=20 June 2021}} The couple has a daughter Premeeta Kaur Nijhar and son Rabinder Singh Nijhar. They had two children.

Death

Nijhar died on 15 June 2021 after having a stroke.{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/06/16/former-mic-veep-ks-nijhar-passes-away-at-85|title=Former MIC veep KS Nijhar passes away at 85|work=The Star|date=16 June 2021|access-date=17 June 2021}} His final rites were performed along with a service held among close family members at his home in Bukit Pantai, followed by cremation at Xiao En Memorial Park in Nilai the next day.

Election results

class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"

|+ Parliament of Malaysia{{Cite web

| title = Malaysia General Election

| work = undiinfo Malaysian Election Data

| publisher = Malaysiakini

| url = http://undi.info/#

| accessdate = 4 February 2018}} Results only available from the 2004 election.{{cite web|url=http://semak.spr.gov.my/spr/laporan/5_KedudukanAkhir.php |title=Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum Parlimen/Dewan Undangan Negeri |publisher=Election Commission of Malaysia |language=Malay |accessdate=4 February 2017 }} Percentage figures based on total turnout.

!|Year

!|Constituency

!colspan=2|Candidate

!|Votes

!|Pct

!colspan=2|Opponent(s)

!|Votes

!|Pct

!|Ballots cast

!|Majority

!|Turnout

1999

| rowspan=2|P107 Subang

|{{party shading/Barisan Nasional}} |

|{{nowrap|Karnail Singh}} (MIC)

|align="right" |36,137

|55.49%

| {{Party shading/Keadilan}} |

|{{nowrap|Irene Fernandez}} (keADILan)

| align="right"|28,985

| 44.51%

|67,847

|7,152

|73.11%

2004

|{{party shading/Barisan Nasional}} |

|{{nowrap|Karnail Singh}} (MIC)

|align="right" |32,941

|65.33%

| {{Party shading/Keadilan}} |

|{{nowrap|Mohd Nasir Hashim}} (PKR)¹

| align="right"|17,481

| 34.67%

|52,017

|15,460

|75.67%

Note: ¹ Mohd Nasir Hashim amid contesting under the PKR ticket in the 2004 election, is a member of PSM.

Honours

=Honours of Malaysia=

{{Flag|Malaysia}} :
50px Companion of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (JMN) (1980)
50px Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) – Tan Sri (1997){{cite web

|url=http://www.istiadat.gov.my/semakan-penerima-darjah-kebesaran-bintang-dan-pingat/|work=Bahagian Istiadat dan Urusetia Persidangan Antarabangsa|title=Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat|access-date=25 October 2018|publisher=Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia)}}