Mr CV Devan Nair was elected the 3^rd President of the Republic of Singapore on 23^rd November 1981.

Mr Nair was born in Malacca inon August the 5^th 1923. He came to Singapore when he was 10 years old and was educated in Rangoon Primary School and later in Victoria School. He started out as a teacher and later became involved in the trade union movement and rose to the post of the general secretary of the Singapore Teacher’s Union in 1949.He was also involved in anti-colonial movements against the Britishas a member of the Anti-British League. He was detained by the British from 1951-1953 and also 1956-1959.

He was appointed the post of political Secretary to the minister of Education and stayed for 1 year.

He also stood for election at the malaysian parliament and won a seat in the Bungsar Constituency, founding the Democratic Action Party of Malaysia in the progress. He was the party’s first Secretary-General.

Between 1969-1979, he was the Secretay of the National Trade Union Congress(NTUC). And then in 1979, he became the union’s president.

He resigned from his post of MP for Anson in late Oct 1981 to stand for the Presidential Election.

However he resigneed in Mrch 1985, just months before his term was aboput to expire. Mr Nair resigned after a shock announcement from the Government that he was diagnosed as an alcholic.

In the White Paper on the circumstances that led to his resignation to then prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, he wrote that he was not exactly enthusiastic about about his proposal to become the president.

Mr Nair described his acceptance of the Presidency as being "The greatest error I ever made in my life." 

Encik yusof Bin Ishak  Dr Benjamin Henry Sheares  Dr Wee Kim Wee  Ong Teng Cheong S R Nathan

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