Devan Nair's Resignation: What Happened According to the Official Narrative

It was such a hassle to dig up this information from NUS but I think it was worth the effort. I just thought letting fellow Sporeans examine this aspect of Spore’s history is apt and depending on how you interpreted the events, no disrespect is intended to the Nair family, and of course, to the MIW (covering my ass time as best as I can).

Devan Nair? Founding MIW member, fiery union leader, fondling President, famous dissident? Rise and fall of a inner circle secret handshake Masonic MIW leader because of alcoholism? The MIW have been gracious in their polite eulogy of the late President. Instead of dragging the name of Spore’s 3rd president in the mud, they seemed gentlemanly restraint. Some respect for a former comrade-in-arms I suppose. But what events triggered the downfall of Devan according to the govt narrative? I found the following write-up from the Paper on the Circumstances Relating to Resignation as President of the Republic of Singapore, presented to Parliament on 29 June 1988. The whole episode back then was trippy and sounded like some seriously weird scandalous conspiracy theory. How much is exaggeration, embellishment, or God forbid, fabrication (gasp)? It is up to you to decide. Here it goes, ready to take the Red Pill, hmmm or is it the Blue Pill?

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“Mr Nair, as President, went on an unofficial visit to Sarawak, scheduled for 9 to 18 March 1985. From 13 March 1985 he began to behave in a bizarre manner, drinking heavily, behaving uninhibited with women, outraging their modesty, propositioning, fondling and molesting them. This led to Sarawak State Physician telephoning Mr Nair’s personal physician, Dr John A. Tambyah on 15 March 1985, asking that Mr Nair be brought back to Singapore.

Back in Singapore, he was admitted to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) where doctors diagnosed his condition as alcoholism, and recommended treatment for his condition.

Investigations brought out the history of his alcoholism and other facts as follows:

1) He had been a daily drinker. He used to drink heavily and continuously during three periods:

a) when Phey Yew Kok, a former trade unionist and MP was arrested and charged in 1979;
b) in the period before his nomination and after his installation as President;
c) after the 1984 general elections

2) He had been associating with a German woman, Konstance Schunemann whom he had met on one of his visits to Germany during his trade union days

3) He used to drive himself out of the Istana, disguised in a wig, without a driver or a security escort.

The Cabinet discussed these developments and decided that, because of his alcoholism and his behaviour which demeaned his high office, he had to resign or be removed from office.

In particular the Cabinet was concerned that should an accident occur when Mr Nair was driving under the influence of alcohol, he would not be prosecutable because of Article 17(2) of the Constitution, which provides that “The President shall not be liable to any proceedings whatsoever in any court”, and there wold be a public outcry.

On 25 March 1985 the Prime Minister and Senior Minister (Prime Minister’s Office) saw Mr Nair at the SGH to ask him to resign. At first Mr Nair refused, but eventually agreed on being told that otherwise the Prime Minister would have to move a motion in Parliament for his removal. Mr Nair resigned effective 28 March 1985.

The Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues also managed to persuade Mr Nair to go to New York to be treated by Dr Stanley E. Gitlow of the Caron Foundation in New York (a specialist in the treatment of Addictive Disease in New York, and consultant to the US State Department). Dr Gitlow confirmed the diagnosis of alcoholism, which had been made by 7 doctors in Singapore. The treatment appeared successful. Many months later Mr Nair began denying that he had ever been an alcoholic.

The President is not entitled to a pension, except by way of a resolution in Parliament. Mr Nair had not completed even one full 4-year term in office, and was forced to resign under less than honorable circumstances, The Prime Minister was, therefore, not in favour of a government pension for Mr Nair. The majority of the Cabinet, however, thought that a pension could be justified, provided Mr Nair abided by the advice of a medical panel. Accordingly, the Minister for Law moved the resolution in Parliament on 31 August 1985. Mr Nair turned this down.

The Government:

1) is satisfied with the doctors’ advice that Mr Nair’s problems were due to alcoholism
2) was fully justified in its decision to have Mr Nair resign as President
3) has no reason to lift the condition in the pension resolution passed in Parliament on 31 August 1985.

Besides denying that he was ever an alcoholic, Mr Nair has ver the past year been making public statements regarding the offer to him of a conditional pension, and commenting on political developments in Singapore.

The government withheld the details of Mr Nair’s behaviour at the time of his resignation. It hoped that this would spare Mr Nair and his family some of the embarrassment arising from the circumstances of his resignation, and would help him readjust to a normal life. However, Mr Nair’s recent actions, and the likelihood that he may continue his public campaign against the Singapore government abroad, now make it necessary to put the facts on record, so that Singaporeans can understand Mr Nair’s motives and see through his actions.”

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Vague hints on why Devan and the MIW had a deathmatch and why the Paper was published only after 3 years Devan had resigned. Both Devan and the MIW tried to hurl crap at each other. How much was fact or fiction from both sides? Hmmmm a scandalous conspiracy story filled with betrayal, drinks, women, lost pension and washing dirty linen in public, or so it seems. What is lacking is an Elvis sighting and the gunman on the Grassy Knoll. There is nothing like a politicised scandal where nothing is often what it appears.

PS
Thinking of Googling Phey Yew Kok, Stanley E. Gitlow and Konstance Schunemann?