Former athlete stays the distance to become city councillor

 

The 24 new Penang Island city councillors with mayor Rajendran Anthony and chief minister Chow Kon Yeow after taking their oaths of office today. (Facebook pic)

GEORGE TOWN: 

Former long-distance runner T Visvenathan’s persistence finally paid off today when he became a Penang Island city councillor after 11 tries over 11 years.

Visvenathan, 42, a DAP branch leader, was the sole new councillor among the 24 who took their oaths of office, in what he calls a hard-fought personal victory.

T Visvenathan.

“I don’t give up easily. Giving up isn’t part of my life,” he said when met at City Hall. “People have been asking me ‘it’s 10 years already, you are still going for the (councillor) interview?’. There is no ‘give up’ in my dictionary.”

Describing himself as a focused and disciplined person, he said he had always believed that hard work would lead to success.

Visvenathan, of Air Itam, has been actively involved in local council issues for the past 10 years, as an aide to Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh.

He said that while he stepped away from competitive athletics in 2004, he managed to complete a half marathon in 2018, finishing 10th at the Alor Setar marathon.

Visvenathan said that as a full-time councillor, he plans to dedicate himself entirely to serving the people of Penang. - FMT