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NTUC sec-gen Devan Nair is PAP’s only winner in M’sian GE
Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said he was disappointed at the results.
August 04, 2025, 06:05 PM
Over the next few days leading up to National Day, follow along as Mothership retraces the events which led up to Singapore's separation from Malaysia on Aug. 9, 1965.
The People’s Action Party (PAP) won just one seat in the Malaysian General Elections on Apr. 25, out of its “token team” of nine.
The victorious candidate was Devan Nair, 40, the secretary-general of the Singapore National Trade Union Congress (NTUC).
A founding member of the PAP, Nair won the seat of Bungsar in Selangor, defeating his Socialist Front opponent V David by a narrow margin of 808 votes.
Speaking about the party’s dismal results, a disappointed Lee Kuan Yew smiled bravely and said it was “the best solution for the country at this stage”.
The Prime Minister of Singapore said he regretted that the PAP’s token participation in the elections had been “too subtle”.
“I am disappointed that the nine PAP candidates did not fare better,” he said.
“But I take great satisfaction in the fact that far from being a disrupting force, we have helped to bring home the dangers of Indonesian confrontation and subversion, and contributed to the rout of the Socialist Front.”
He added that the PAP will continue working and recruiting “able and honest men in Malaya”, and focus on the town elections two years away.
Six of the nine PAP candidates, including Devan Nair, third from the right. Photo from National Archives of Singapore
Token team
PAP chairman Toh Chin Chye had earlier announced the party’s intention to field a “token” team at the Malaysian General Election.
He said that they were doing so to highlight Singapore’s part in the formation of the still-new Malaysia federation.
They did not intend to fight the central government or the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), he said.
Throughout the election, the party held rallies and opened branches in key states like Malacca, Penang, and Selangor.
PAP rally at the 1964 Malaysian GE. Photo from National Archives of Singapore
PAP rally at the 1964 Malaysian GE. Photo from National Archives of Singapore
Party spokespeople repeatedly said they hoped to co-operate with UMNO and the ruling Alliance, and win the votes of Malaysia’s urban population.
The Alliance, however, responded with wariness, on one occasion accusing the PAP of “sinister intentions”, and on another urging Malays not to vote for the PAP.
Why did PAP participate?
During last year’s Singapore General Election, party critics pointed out that the Alliance’s participation in the elections was a violation of an earlier agreement.
Pre-merger, Singapore and Malayan leaders had agreed that neither side would participate in the other’s elections, until Singapore becomes more politically mature.
Sources close to the party said that the PAP’s participation in the elections was met with mixed responses among its ranks, with PM Lee in particular expressing his reservations.
But the decision was made in the end as the Malayan side was viewed to have breached the agreement first.
Top image from National Archives of Singapore
