Sundarajoo Somu

In this Indian name, the name Somu is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Sundarajoo. The abbreviation "s/o" or "d/o", if used, means "son of" or "daughter of" respectively.

Sundarajoo a/l Somu (born 23 May 1962) is a Malaysian politician who has served as Member of the Penang State Executive Council (EXCO) in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) state administration under Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and Member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Perai since August 2023. He is a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the PH coalition.

Yang Berhormat Dato' Seri Sundarajoo Somu DGPN DMPN DSPN PKT MLA
சுந்தரராஜூ சோமு
Member of the Penang State Executive Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 August 2023
Governor	Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak (2023–2025) Ramli Ngah Talib (since 2025)
Chief Minister	Chow Kon Yeow
Portfolio	Housing and Environment
Preceded by	Jagdeep Singh Deo (Housing) Phee Boon Poh (Environment)
Constituency	Perai
Member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly for Perai
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 August 2023
Preceded by	Ramasamy Palanisamy (PH–DAP)
Majority	9,139 (2023)
Personal details
Born	Sundarajoo a/l Somu (1962-05-23) 23 May 1962 (age 63)[1] Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia)
Citizenship	Malaysian
Nationality	Malaysia
Political party	Democratic Action Party (DAP) (since 2018)
Other political affiliations	Pakatan Harapan (PH) (since 2018)
Children	4
Alma mater	Nottingham Trent University
Occupation	Politician

Early life

Sundarajoo was born into a poor family in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.^[2]

Education

Sundarajoo earned his diploma from the Federal Institute of Technology. He received his Master in Business Administration from Nottingham Trent University.^[2]

Early career

Sundarajoo first worked as an adjuster for the General Insurance Association of Malaysia. He lost his job during the 1987 financial crisis and started working as a field conductor for an estate. Then, he started working as a taxi driver before becoming a security guard where Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin, the founder of S P Setia, lived. Subsequently, he worked as Liew's driver before joining S P Setia in 2005 as a salesman. In 2012, he was made the general manager of S P Setia for the northern region of Malaysia. In 2014, following Permodalan Nasional Berhad’s takeover of S P Setia, he helped Liew set up EcoWorld and became the Deputy Chairman and deputy CEO of EcoWorld.^[2][3]

Political career

Sundarajoo joined DAP in 2018.^[2]

Election results

Penang State Legislative Assembly^[4]

Year	Constituency	Candidate		Votes	Pct	Opponent(s)		Votes	Pct	Ballots cast	Majority	Turnout
2023	N16 Perai		Sundarajoo Somu (DAP)	10,680	76.76%		Sivasuntaram Rajalinggam (Gerakan)	1,541	11.08%	14,044	9,139	68.58%
							David Marshel Pakianathan (IND)	1,439	10.34%
							Vikneswary Harikrishnan (MUDA)	253	1.82%

Honours

• Penang
  • Commander of the Order of the Defender of State (DGPN) – Dato' Seri (2020)^[5]
  • Companion of the Order of the Defender of State (DMPN) – Dato' (2016)^[5]
  • Officer of the Order of the Defender of State (DSPN) – Dato' (2011)^[5]
  • Recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Medal (PKT) (2009)^[6]