Labour Day comes and goes each 1 May as the only public holiday specifically designated to recognise the sacrifices of working people.
Yet the struggle to have 1 May declared a public holiday in Malaysia is either seldom remembered, not accorded due recognition or, in the worst case, simply unknown to later generations of workers and trade union leaders.
The story of the relentless campaign by one man, the late Dr V David, to have 1 May declared a public holiday has been lost to history. Both as a trade unionist and as an MP, he pursued that goal with singular determination.
His persistent campaign eventually succeeded when the government declared, in 1972, that from 1973 onwards, 1 May would be recognised as a public holiday to mark international Labour Day.
There is no doubt that we owe David a debt for his single-minded quest in persuading the government of the day to grant a public holiday on 1 May.
Sadly, however, his contributions have faded almost into oblivion. He remains an unsung and largely forgotten figure – an unknown name to many among today’s workers and trade union leaders.
Growing up poor
Born on 26 August 1932, he grew up exposed to the stark realities of social injustice in an urban pioneer settlement along Old Klang Road. He completed his Senior Cambridge studies while helping his father deliver milk.
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As a teenager he was the go-to person in the settlement.
In 1953 he was instrumental in forming the Selangor Mill Workers Union, which subsequently merged with the Selangor Factory Workers Union to become the National Union of Factory and General Workers. The organisation grew steadily in both membership and influence.
He was later elected a Kuala Lumpur municipal councillor.
Detained but undeterred
In 1958 he was detained by the then Alliance government under the Emergency Ordinance. He was later detained under the Internal Security Act in 1964, 1969 and again during Operation Lalang in 1987.
In 1959 he was elected MP for Bangsar at the age of 26 – the youngest MP in the country’s history at the time. He later stood with Parti Gerakan, winning the Dato’ Kramat seat in Penang in the 1969 general election. He subsequently represented Damansara (1978) and Puchong (1986 and 1990) under the DAP banner.
On the trade union front, he served as secretary general of the Transport Workers Union for 37 years. He also served as vice-president and later secretary general of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC). At the international level, he was an executive board member of the International Transport Workers’ Federation and a governing member of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
A legacy awaiting recognition
After David passed away on 10 July 2005, the MTUC called on the Selangor state government to name a road in his honour, in recognition of his contributions as a legend of the trade union movement and a four-term MP. That call fell on deaf ears.
The case, however, remains compelling. The current Pakatan Harapan government, and the DAP in particular, ought to name a road after V David.
The Penang state government, too, should proactively explore such a tribute, in recognition of his service to the state both as a trade union icon and as the MP for Dato’ Keramat.
The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.
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