Sivakumar s/o Varatharaju Naidu (; born 5 December 1970), better known as V. Sivakumar, is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Minister of Human Resources in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim since December 2022 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Batu Gajah since May 2013. He served as Member of the Perak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Tronoh from March 2008 to May 2013. He also served as Speaker of the assembly from April 2008 to May 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) and formerly Pakatan Rakyat (PR) opposition coalitions. He has also served as the Deputy Secretary-General of DAP since November 2017. He is also presently the sole minister of Indian ethnicity. Prior to his political career, he obtained a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Malaya and a professional qualification in insurance administration from the Life Office Management Association in the United States. Early life and entry into politics Sivakumar was born in 1970 to M. Varatharaju and S. Karunakari in Perak, Malaysia. He received his Bachelor's degree in Economics with a specialization in Public Administration from the University of Malaya in 1994. In 2000, he obtained an Associate degree in Insurance Agency Administration from the Life Office Management Association in the United States. Sivakumar entered politics in 1997, once serving as political secretary to Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran, before winning the Tronoh state seat in the 2008 general election, defeating Lee Kim Choy with a majority of 2,571. Sivakumar holds a Bachelor's in Legal Philosophy and a Master's in Business Administration. Sivakumar was nominated speaker by Pakatan Rakyat and while Barisan Nasional nominated Junus Wahid, the incumbent, to continue as speaker. A fired up debate ensued between the two sides, and Sivakumar was elected speaker through secret ballot on 25 April 2008 at 4.05pm with 31 votes, against Junus' 28 votes. Hee Yit Foong was appointed deputy speaker soon after. In the 2013 general election, Sivakumar contested and won the parliamentary constituency of Batu Gajah in Perak. Political career Speaker of the Perak State Legislative Assembly (2008–2009) Sivakumar began his political career in 1997 when he joined the Democratic Action Party (DAP). In 2008, he ran for the Parliament seat of Batu Gajah in Perak and was elected as a first-time member of