SINGAPORE : Former Singapore President Devan Nair has died. He
was 82.
Mr Nair, who was President from 1981 to 1985, died in Canada.
Born in Malaysia, the son of a rubber plantation clerk, Chengara
Veetil Devan Nair identified with the working class early on in
life.
His first political conviction was Communism, and he joined the
Anti-British League, a cover for the Malayan Communist Party.
In 1951, he was detained, but once out of prison, he continued with
left wing union activism.
In 1954, Mr Lee Kuan Yew asked Mr Nair to join him so the unions
could provide the mass base for a new party.
When the Hock Lee bus riots took place, the British government
cracked down on the unions and Mr Nair and his comrades were
arrested
Mr Lee persuaded Mr Nair to get all the detainees to commit to a
non-communist Malaya, before securing their release.
Mr Nair's work with the PAP included a stint as the only elected
People's Action Party MP in Malaysia after the merger.
Loyal to those who voted for him, he stayed put after the
Separation and formed the Democratic Action Party.
But then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew persuaded him to return to
Singapore, to lead the labour movement.
And forming the National Trades Union Congress was to be Mr Nair's
most significant legacy.
Mr Nair made his debut in the Singapore Parliament in 1979 when he
won the Anson seat.
His biggest personal decision was in taking up Singapore's highest
public office.
But in March 1985, a drinking problem led to the President's
resignation.
He later migrated to Canada with his wife. - CNA/de
