Sundarajoo Somu

Summary

Datuk Seri Sundarajoo a/l Somu (born 23 May 1962) is the DAP assemblyman for Perai in Penang, first elected in August 2023, and currently serves as the Penang State Housing and Environment Committee chairman under Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow. A former Deputy CEO and Deputy President of EcoWorld Development Group Bhd with over 30 years in Malaysia's property sector, he joined DAP in 2018 and entered politics after retiring from the corporate world. His portfolio covers affordable housing policy, environmental regulation, and Tamil school development in Penang.

Biography

Datuk Seri Sundarajoo a/l Somu (born 23 May 1962) is a Malaysian politician serving as the Member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Perai and a member of the Penang State Executive Council (EXCO) under Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow [1]. He is a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition [1]. Born into a poor family in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, Sundarajoo earned a diploma from the Federal Institute of Technology in 1984 and later obtained a Master of Business Administration from Nottingham Trent University [2]. After losing his job during the 1987 stock market crash, he worked as a field conductor, taxi driver, and security guard before becoming a driver for Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin, founder of S P Setia [3]. He joined S P Setia in 2005 as a salesman, eventually rising to general manager for the northern region by 2012, and in 2014 helped Liew establish EcoWorld Development Group Bhd, where he became Deputy Chairman and Deputy CEO [1]. He joined DAP in 2018 and relinquished his corporate position at EcoWorld before contesting the 2023 Penang state election [3]. He won the Perai state seat on 12 August 2023, polling 10,311 votes in a four-cornered contest [3]. Following his election victory, he was sworn in as the Penang Housing and Environment Committee chairman on 16 August 2023 [4]. He is also the Penang Tamil Schools Committee chairman [5].

Known for

Sundarajoo Somu is defined politically by a career transition from the upper ranks of Malaysia's property development sector — as former Deputy CEO and Deputy President of EcoWorld Development Group Bhd — to state-level elected office in Penang [2]. As the Penang Housing and Environment Committee chairman, he has been the primary state voice on affordable housing policy, overseeing the Rumah MutiaraKu programme and the introduction of a new B2 housing category priced at RM100,000 [3]. He has simultaneously championed environmental portfolios including a single-use plastic bag ban and river quality restoration in Penang [3].

Political positions

On housing, Sundarajoo has positioned the Penang state government as a provider of affordable homes across income categories, overseeing a target of 220,000 affordable units under the Penang 2030 Agenda and introducing the new B2 category at RM100,000 to bridge a pricing gap between existing affordable tiers [3]. He has also pursued stricter enforcement on rental arrears in public housing, announcing action against tenants with arrears over three months while acknowledging case-by-case exceptions for vulnerable residents [4]. On the environment, Sundarajoo has championed a full ban on single-use plastic bags in Penang from 1 September 2026, which he stated would make Penang the first state to go 100% non-usage of such bags [3]. He has advocated for river quality monitoring and the use of farm waste for renewable energy as a means to reduce river pollution [3]. On Tamil education, as Penang Tamil Schools Committee chairman, he has called for the relocation of underenrolled Tamil schools to areas with higher population density and sought increased state allocation for SJKT [5].

Education

1. 1984Obtained a diploma from the Federal Institute of Technology, where he was noted as one of the institution's best students.⛓
2. c. 2002Earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Nottingham Trent University at approximately the age of 40.⛓

Before politics

1. 1984Began career as an adjuster with the General Insurance Association of Malaysia after completing his diploma.⛓
2. 1987Lost his job during the 1987 stock market crash and subsequently worked as a field conductor in a Kuala Selangor estate, then as a taxi driver, and later as a security guard at the condominium where Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin resided.⛓
3. 2005Joined S P Setia as a salesman after working as a driver for Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin; subsequently rose through the ranks to head the sales department.⛓
4. 2002Sent to Penang as General Manager of S P Setia for the northern region, where he worked for approximately 10 years.⛓
5. 2012Made General Manager of S P Setia for the northern region of Malaysia.⛓
6. 2014Following Permodalan Nasional Berhad's takeover of S P Setia, he helped Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin establish EcoWorld Development Group Bhd and became its Deputy Chairman and Deputy CEO.⛓

Political career

1. 2018Joined the Democratic Action Party (DAP).⛓
2. 2023Relinquished his position as Deputy CEO and Deputy President of EcoWorld to contest the Perai state seat for DAP under the Pakatan Harapan banner in the 2023 Penang state election.⛓
3. 12 August 2023Won the Perai state seat in the 2023 Penang state election with 10,311 votes in a four-cornered contest against Perikatan Nasional, Muda, and an Independent candidate.⛓
4. 16 August 2023Sworn in as Penang State EXCO member and appointed as Housing and Environment Committee chairman.⛓

Election history

• 2023Perai (Penang State)Won75.9%⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentSundarajoo, as a state EXCO member under Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow's Pakatan Harapan administration, is the lead government voice on housing and the environment in Penang, having introduced the Rumah MutiaraKu affordable housing rebranding and the B2 RM100,000 housing category.⛓
• OppositionThe Star reported that ahead of the 2023 Penang state election, Sundarajoo faced criticism from supporters of former Perai assemblyman P. Ramasamy, with some calling him a 'traitor' and 'backstabber', and Ramasamy's protege David Marshel resigning from DAP to stand as an Independent against him.⛓
• VerifiedFactsSundarajoo won the 2023 Perai state seat with 10,311 votes — a clear majority in a four-cornered contest where the nearest rival, Perikatan Nasional's Sivasuntaram Rajalinggam, received 1,492 votes. Perai had 20,479 registered voters.⛓

Business interests (publicly reported)

Prior to entering politics, Sundarajoo served as Deputy President and Deputy CEO of Eco World Development Group Bhd, a listed property developer, a position he relinquished before contesting the 2023 Penang state election (Source: theedgemalaysia.com/node/677916). No credible news report from the allowlist has identified current business interests held by Sundarajoo since assuming elected office.