Vigneswaran Sanasee

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato' Sri

| name = Vigneswaran Sanasee Thevar

| native_name = {{nobold|ச. விக்னேஸ்வரன்}}

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|size=100|country=MYS|PSM|SSAP|DPSM|SMS (Selangor)}}

| image =

| image_size =

| order = 17th

| office = President of the Dewan Negara

| monarch = Abdul Halim
Muhammad V
Abdullah

| term_start = 26 April 2016

| term_end = 22 June 2020

| predecessor = Abu Zahar Ujang

| primeminister = Najib Razak
Mahathir Mohamad
Muhyiddin Yassin

| successor = Rais Yatim

| deputy = Abdul Halim Abdul Samad

| office1 = 10th President of the Malaysian Indian Congress

| term_start1 = 14 July 2018

| term_end1 =

| deputy1 = Saravanan Murugan

| predecessor1 = Subramaniam Sathasivam

| successor1 =

| office3 = Ministerial roles

| subterm3 = 2004–2008

| suboffice3 = Parliamentary Secretary of Youth and Sports

| subterm4 = 2021-2022

| suboffice4 = Special Envoy of the Prime Minister to South Asia

| office5 = Faction represented in Dewan Rakyat

| subterm5 = 2004–2008

| suboffice5 = Barisan Nasional

| office7 = Faction represented in Dewan Negara

| subterm7 = 2014–2020

| suboffice7 = Barisan Nasional

| birth_name = Vigneswaran s/o Sanasee Thevar

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|12|16|df=y}}

| birth_place = Klang, Selangor, Malaysia

| alma_mater = Staffordshire University
University of Malaya

| death_date =

| death_place =

| spouse = Susita Periasamy

| children =

| citizenship = Malaysian

| occupation = Politician

| profession = Lawyer

| party = Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC)

| otherparty = Barisan Nasional (BN)

| signature =

}}

Vigneswaran s/o Sanasee Thevar ({{langx|ta|ச. விக்னேஸ்வரன்|Sa. Vikṉēsvaraṉ}}; born 16 December 1965) is a Malaysian politician who has served as Special Envoy of the Prime Minister to South Asia since November 2021 and 10th President of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) since July 2018, a component party of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/07/14/vigneswaran-is-new-mic-president/|title=Vigneswaran is new MIC president - Nation {{!}} The Star Online|website=www.thestar.com.my|access-date=2018-07-15}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2018/07/14/vigneswaran-becomes-mic-president-uncontested/|title=Vigneswaran becomes MIC president uncontested|date=2018-07-14|work=Free Malaysia Today|access-date=2018-07-15|language=en-US}} He also served as 17th President of the Dewan Negara from April 2016 to June 2020, Senator from June 2014 to June 2020 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kota Raja from March 2004 to March 2008.{{cite web|title=Ahli Parlimen|url=http://www.parlimen.gov.my/profile-ahli.html?uweb=dn&id=3298|website=Portal Rasmi Parlimen Malaysia|publisher=Parliament of Malaysia|access-date=26 April 2016}}{{cite news|title=MIC VP Vigneswaran New Senate President|url=http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/newsindex.php?id=1239343|access-date=26 April 2016|agency=BERNAMA|date=26 April 2016}}

Vigneswaran is the son of the late Sanasee Thevar, JP, a former MIC parliament member in the 1980s. His cousin, Sellathevan, is a former MIC Youth leader and a Member of Parliament in 90's. His family has business interests in the Port Klang area.

Vigneswaran contested and won the 2004 general election to become Member of Parliament for Kota Raja parliamentary seat from 2004 to 2008. He lost and failed to retain the seat in the 2008 general election.{{Cite web

| title = Malaysia Decides 2008

| work = The Star (Malaysia)

| url = http://thestar.com.my/election/

| access-date = 17 January 2010}}

Political career

= President of the Malaysian Indian Congress (since 2018) =

On 27 March 2024, Vigneswaran submitted his nomination papers to contest for reelection to the MIC party presidency for the third term in the party elections. It was later confirmed that he had been reelected as president by a walkover after nobody had decided to challenge him for the position.{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/03/27/mic-elections-vigneswaran-to-defend-president-post-wins-uncontested|title=MIC elections: Vigneswaran to defend president post, wins uncontested|website=The Star|date=27 March 2024|accessdate=27 March 2024}}

Controversies

Vigneswaran was alleged to have violated the dress code by wearing sandals and to have breached the security regulations by encroaching into the VIP lobby area before heading to the departure gates to send off his daughter to Britain without going through proper security check and without a security pass at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on 14 November 2018. Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook had showed a CCTV footage of the incident and told Vigneswaran to apologise for it during a press conference on 17 November 2018.{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/11/17/senate-president-vigneswaran-told-to-apologise-over-alleged-security-breach-at-airport-vip-lane/ |title=Dewan Negara president told to apologise over alleged security breach at airport VIP lane|author= Rahimy Rahim |date=17 November 2018|work=The Star|publisher=Star Publications (Malaysia)|access-date=19 November 2018}} Vigneswaran denies he breached KLIA security protocols and claims that he wore sandals as he had wound on his foot.{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/11/17/vigneswaran-denies-breaching-klia-security-protocol/ |title=Vigneswaran denies he breached KLIA security protocol by wearing sandals in VIP area|author= Rahimy Rahim |date=17 November 2018|work=The Star|publisher=Star Publications (Malaysia)|access-date=13 November 2018}} Police will investigate the incident as the airport management had filed a police report.{{cite news|url=https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2018/11/18/cops-to-probe-mic-chiefs-sandal-incident-at-klia/|title=Cops to probe MIC chief's 'sandal' incident at KLIA|work=Bernama|date=18 November 2018 |publisher=Free Malaysia Today|access-date=19 November 2018}}

Election results

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

|+ Parliament of Malaysia{{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=ms |access-date=4 February 2017 }} Percentage figures based on total turnout.{{Cite web

| title = Malaysia General Election

| work = undiinfo Malaysian Election Data

| publisher = Malaysiakini

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

| access-date = 4 February 2017}} Results only available from the 2004 election.

!|Year

!|Constituency

!colspan=2|Candidate

!|Votes

!|Pct

!colspan=2|Opponent(s)

!|Votes

!|Pct

!|Ballots cast

!|Majority

!|Turnout

rowspan=2|2004

| rowspan="3" |P111 Kota Raja

|rowspan=2 {{Party shading/Barisan Nasional}} |

|rowspan=2|{{nowrap|Vigneswaran Sanasee}} (MIC)

|rowspan=2 align="right" |24,376

|rowspan=2|55.24%

|{{Party shading/PAS}} |

|{{nowrap|Siti Mariah Mahmud}} (PAS)

|align="right" |16,137

|36.57%

|rowspan=2|44,758

|rowspan=2|8,239

|rowspan=2|76.67%

{{Party shading/Independent}} |

|{{nowrap|Krisnasamy Thevarayan}} (IND)

|align=right|3,608

|align=right|8.18%

2008

|{{Party shading/Barisan Nasional}} |

|Vigneswaran Sanasee (MIC)

|align="right" |17,879

|31.64%

|{{Party shading/PAS}} |

|{{nowrap|Siti Mariah Mahmud}} (PAS)

|align="right" |38,630

|68.36%

|57,323

|20,751

|79.74%

rowspan="6" |2022

| rowspan="6" |P062 Sungai Siput

| rowspan="6" {{Party shading/Barisan Nasional}} |

| rowspan="6" |{{nowrap|Vigneswaran Sanasee}} (MIC)

| rowspan="6" align="right" |19,791

| rowspan="6" |38.32%

| {{Party shading/PH}} |

|{{nowrap|Kesavan Subramaniam}} (PKR)

| align="right" |21,637

|41.89%

| rowspan="6" |51,649

| rowspan="6" |1,846

| rowspan="6" |71.34%

bgcolor={{party color|Perikatan Nasional}} |

|Irudhanathan Gabriel (BERSATU)

|align=right|8,190

| align="right" |15.86%

bgcolor={{party color|Homeland Fighter's Party}} |

|Ahmad Fauzi Mohd Jaafar (PEJUANG)

|align="right" |784

|align=right|1.52%

{{Party shading/Independent}} |

|R.Indrani (IND)

|align="right" |614

|align=right|1.19%

{{Party shading/Independent}} |

|Baharudin Kamarudin (IND)

|align="right" |598

|align=right|1.16%

{{Party shading/Independent}} |

|Rajah Narasaim (IND)

|align="right" |35

|align=right|0.07%

Honours

=Honours of Malaysia=

{{flag|Malaysia}} :
50px Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) – Tan Sri (2017){{cite web|url=http://www.istiadat.gov.my/index.php/component/semakanlantikanskp/|title=SEMAKAN PENERIMA DARJAH KEBESARAN, BINTANG DAN PINGAT|publisher=Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia)|access-date=3 February 2020}}{{cite web|date=9 September 2017|access-date=3 February 2020|work=The Star Online|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/09/09/51-people-awarded-tan-sri-title-in-conjunction-with-agongs-birthday |title=51 people awarded 'Tan Sri' title in conjunction with Agong's birthday}}
{{Flag|Selangor}} :
50px Companion of the Order of the Crown of Selangor (SMS) (2005){{cite web|url=http://thestar.com.my/news/list.asp?file=/2005/12/14/central/12843928&sec=central|title=2005 Selangor Honour’s List

|publisher=The Star (Malaysia)|access-date=27 May 2024|archive-date=16 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080716182547/http://thestar.com.my/news/list.asp?file=/2005/12/14/central/12843928&sec=central}}

{{Flag|Malacca}} :
50px Companion Class II of the Exalted Order of Malacca (DPSM) – Datuk (2013)
{{Flag|Pahang}} :
50px Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) – Dato' Sri (2015)