Rajakumar - Pejuang sosialis berjiwa rakyat

Hari ini saya pergi pelancaran Buku Rajakumar - an uncommon hero> Seorang kawan baik MK Rajakumar, Kai Hee bekas Setiausaha Agung Parti Buruh berkata ada orang hidup tapi mati manakala ada orang akan terus hidup walaupun mati. Kategori kedua adalah Rajakumar

Dr M.K. Rajakumar (25 May 1932 - 22 November 2008) was a veteran socialist leader and medical practitioner, regarded as a founding father of the discipline of family medicine by general practitioners and family physicians.

As a leftist intellectual he formed part of the leadership of the Labour Party of Malaya and Barisan Sosialis during the 1960s. He helped build the Labour Party with other leaders like the late Tan Sri Dr Tan Chee Koon, David V., Ishak Haji Muhammad (better known as Pak Sako) and Karam Singh.

Early involvement

In the 1950s, Rajakumar was active in the Socialist Club while studying medicine at the Singapore campus of University of Malaya where he met historian Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Khay Kim and former Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia Kassim Ahmad, who were also students.

Rajakumar, then 22 years old, was involved with the editorial board of Fajar, which was the Socialist Club’s newspaper. The team behind the newsletter were soon accused of sedition and involved in a court trial. Rajakumar and The Fajar team were defended by the legendary radical British Queen's Counsel DN Pritt, with Lee Kuan Yew (who later became the first Prime Minister of Singapore) as junior counsel.

He then moved on to be chairman of the Selangor Labour Party and was always very dedicated. He was detained under the Internal Security Act from 1966 to 1969.

Politically, his influence waned after the decline of the Barisan Socialis in the late 60s but he always held on to his ideals.