The Tapah MP said the street was once affectionately known as “Chetty Theru” or “Lorong Ceti”, as it had been the financial hub for the South Indian trading community, especially in moneylending and informal finance.

“They were not just lenders, they were enablers of dreams, builders of industries, and quiet architects of Malaya’s economic rise,” he said in a statement.

Saravanan said since the early 19th century, Chettiar financiers operated from modest shophouses, offering credit to tin miners, rubber plantation owners and small traders when British banks refused to serve local entrepreneurs.

He added that the community’s contributions were instrumental in developing Malaya’s rubber and tin industries, which became the pillars of the colonial economy.

Their use of double-entry book-keeping, microfinancing backed by promissory notes and land deeds, as well as trust-based lending practices set them apart as pioneers of Asian finance, he said.

“Renaming Lebuh Ampang is more than symbolic, it is a restoration of historical truth, a recognition of legacy, and a celebration of multicultural entrepreneurship,” Saravanan said in his appeal to the government.

The former minister also called for Lebuh Ampang’s historical identity as a financial hub to be preserved to educate future generations about diaspora entrepreneurship and informal finance, while promoting inclusivity as a national narrative.

“Let the name Chetty Street rise not just on signboards, but in the hearts of every Malaysian who walks that road,” he said.