21 Facts About Devan Nair

Devan Nair, better known as Devan Nair, was a Singaporean politician and union leader who served as the third president of Singapore from 1981 until his resignation in 1985.

Politically active in both Malaysia and Singapore, Nair was a communist as a young adult, having been affiliated with the Malayan Communist Party.

Devan Nair harboured anti-colonial sentiments and campaigned for the self-determination of Singapore, which was then a British colony, causing him to be detained by the British in 1951.

Devan Nair was detained again by the British in 1956 and remained so until the PAP won the 1959 general election and helped secure his release.

Devan Nair was succeeded by Wee Kim Wee on 2 September 1985.

Devan Nair was initially a member of the Communist Anti-British League before joining Lee Kuan Yew's People's Action Party in 1954.

Devan Nair had been detained in 1951 by the British for anti-colonial activities.

Devan Nair was released in 1959 when the PAP won the 1959 Singaporean general election in a landslide victory.

Devan Nair was appointed political secretary to the Minister for Education.

Devan Nair was the only PAP member who contested in the 1964 Malaysian general election and won Bangsar, near Kuala Lumpur.

Devan Nair stayed in Malaysia after the separation, forming the Democratic Action Party, but returned to Singapore in 1969 to eventually lead the National Trades Union Congress once more, the labour union movement which he helped to established in 1961.

Devan Nair entered the Parliament of Singapore in 1979 by winning the Anson seat in a by-election, and retained the seat in the 1980 general election.

Devan Nair resigned the seat in 1981 to accept the then largely ceremonial office of President as the country's head of state.

On 28 March 1985, Devan Nair suddenly resigned in unclear circumstances.

Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong stated in Parliament that Devan Nair resigned to get treatment for his alcoholism, a charge Devan Nair hotly denied.

Devan Nair alleged that he was fed drugs to make him appear disoriented and that rumours were spread about his personal life in an attempt to discredit him.

However, in a letter to The New York Times, it is said that Goh agreed to discontinue the suit only when two of Devan Nair's sons issued a statement, reported in The Globe and Mail on 1 July 2004, maintaining that Devan Nair was no longer mentally competent to give evidence in court.

Devan Nair was survived by his daughter, three sons, and five grandchildren.

Devan Nair's eldest son, Janadas Devan, was a senior editor with The Straits Times and is currently Chief of Government Communications at the Ministry of Communications and Information and a director at the public policy think-tank Institute of Policy Studies.

Devan Nair was a good friend of Dutch economist Albert Winsemius, and composed a poem titled "The Yangtze's Voyage Through History" for him.

Devan Nair's legacy remains highly respected in Singapore, especially in regards to his association with the labour movement.