Vigneswaran pays tribute to Tan Sri Manickavasagam for pioneering MIED
Sungei Patani: While addressing today’s event (Monday 12 October 2026) to hand over MIED scholarships and loans, MIC President Tan Sri S.A.Vigneswaran paid tribute to the 6th MIC President, Tan Sri V. Manickavasagam, for pioneering the creation and formation of MIED.
“I would like to share something close to my heart. Recently, I had the honour of attending the launch of a commemorative postage stamp in tribute to the late Tan Sri V. Manickavasagam, marking his 100th birthday. As I stood among those remembering him, I could not help reflecting that the man we honoured there is, in a very real sense, the reason we are gathered here today,” Vigneswaran said.
“Some fifty years ago, Tan Sri Manickavasagam looked at the challenges facing our community and saw that education was the answer. He convened a seminar to chart the way forward, and one of its most lasting outcomes was the MIC Education Fund, built on a one-ringgit contribution from party members. One ringgit from each member. It was a small sum, but a large idea: that a community can lift its own children by giving a little, together. Eventually, that Fund was rebranded as the Maju Institute of Educational Development or MIED, under the late Tun Samy Vellu,” Vigneswaran further noted.
“Look at what that one ringgit has become. Over the years, MIED has channelled more than 240 million ringgit in scholarships and loans to nearly 15,000 students. Each of you receiving a scholarship is reaping the harvest of a seed planted half a century ago. He did not live to see this day, but he foresaw you. So, when you accept your scholarship, remember the name Tan Sri V. Manickavasagam, and honour him best by making full use of the opportunity he began,” Vigneswaran remarked emotionally at the event.
