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Perumal Govindaswamy

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In this Indian name, the name Perumal is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Govindaswamy.
Perumal Govindaswamy
BBM
பெருமாள் கோவிந்தசாமி
Member of Parliament for Anson
In office
22 October 1963 (1963-10-22) – 4 June 1978 (1978-06-04)
Preceded byDavid Marshall
Succeeded byDevan Nair
Personal details
Born1911
India
Died4 June 1978(1978-06-04) (aged 66–67)
Singapore
Political partyPeople's Action Party
SpouseKrishnaveni
Children9

Perumal Govindaswamy BBM (1911 – 4 June 1978) was a Singaporean trade unionist, politician, and a founding member of the People's Action Party, serving as Member of Legislative Assembly and later Member of Parliament for Anson from 1963 till his death in 1978.[1][2]

Early life and career

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In 1911, Govindaswamy was born in India, and in 1927, he migrated to Singapore.[3] He received no formal education.[4]

In 1929, Govindaswamy joined the Postal Service Department (now known as Singapore Post) and soon become involved in the Union of Postal Workers and the Postal and Telecommunication Uniformed Staff Union. In May 1952, Govindaswamy was one of the organisers of a postal union strike, and engaged lawyer Lee Kuan Yew as their negotiator and legal advisor.[5] More than 400 workers began the 13-day strike on 13 May 1952.[6][7] Lee was able to negotiate a settlement resulting in pay increase and better working conditions.[1]

In 1963, Govindaswamy retired from the department as inspector of posts.[3]

Political career

[edit]

Upon retirement from the postal service, Govindaswamy stood for the Legislative Assembly at the 1963 general elections in the constituency of Anson. He won 46.9% of the votes cast and was elected to the 3rd Legislative Assembly.[8]

In the 1968 general elections, Govindaswamy was the only candidate contesting in the constituency of Anson, and was elected unopposed to the 2nd Parliament.[9]

In 1971, rumours alleged that some applicants were able to receive their Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats earlier than others "if they are willing to pay". As the chairman of the committee overseeing allocation of HDB flats, Govindaswamy said such allegations were untrue, and elaborated in his speech at a balloting exercise:

The board's first-come-first-served policy has always been followed and in every balloting, the cards are checked and sealed in envelopes by me personally. The allocation of flats is based strictly on Housing Board rules and regulations.
The rumours might have been spread by people who did not understand the rules of the board or by people with malicious intention of damaging the good name of the Board.
Action can be taken by the police to charge these people in court for spreading malicious rumours.[10]

In the 1972 general elections, Govindaswamy won 74.3% of the votes cast and was elected to the 3rd Parliament.[11] The other two candidates were Tay Kim Oh from Workers' Party and Paul C. Kunjuraman from United National Front.[12]

In 1975, during a debate in Parliament about conducting feasibility studies into the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, Minister for Communications Yong Nyuk Lin announced that the cost of the studies were expected to be S$4.5 million. Govindaswamy felt that there was no need to waste "good money" on research into the MRT system as the Government was already improving the existing public transport system, and the money can be diverted to other projects. MP for Moulmein Lawrence Sia disagreed with Govindaswamy, and felt that the MRT system should be introduced as soon as possible to cope with the increasing reliance on public transport.[13]

Once again, in the 1976 general elections, as the sole candidate for Anson, Govindaswamy was elected unopposed to the 4th Parliament.[14][15]

In 1978, Minister for Culture Ong Teng Cheong was addressing criticisms of Radio Television Singapore (RTS). Govindaswamy complained of discrimination by RTS against Indians as not many Indians were hired as staff, and that Tamil listeners were neglected by RTS as football matches were not broadcast in Tamil.[16]

Personal life

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Together with his wife, Krishnaveni, they had four children, as well as five adopted children.[1][17]

Govindaswamy lived in the Windsor Park estate, off Upper Thomson Road. In 1971, Govindaswamy was elected as the president of the estate's association.[18] On 12 March 1972, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew was accompanied by Govindaswamy to officiate the opening of the estate's S$18,000 clubhouse located at 2 Jupiter Road.[19] In 1974, he was re-elected as president.[20] The clubhouse was demolised in 2000 and a terraced house subdivided into three units was constructed on the site.[21][22][23]

On 4 June 1978, after complaining of chest pains and difficulty of breathing, Govindaswamy was sent to Toa Payoh Hospital. He died of a heart attack while on the way to the hospital.[3][24] In a condolence message to the widow, Lee described Govindaswamy as "an old and treasured friend" that was a "responsible, firm and steady leader" who always spoke from his heart, representing the constituents of Anson with sincerity by looking after their interests.[25][26] On 6 June 1978, Acting Prime Minister and Defence Minister Goh Keng Swee led ministers and MPs at the funeral service held at Mount Vernon Columbarium, paying their last respects.[27][28]

His wife died on 22 October 1999.[17]

Awards and decorations

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After his death, Govindaswamy was posthumously awarded the Public Service Star, and the award was received by his wife.[29]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Yap, Sonny (25 June 1974). "The restless mind of a 'nosy' MP". New Nation. p. 4. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  2. ^ "Govindaswamy meninggal akibat diserang sakit jantung". Berita Harian (in Malay). 6 June 1978. p. 8. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "MP dies of heart attack". New Nation. 5 June 1978. p. 4. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  4. ^ "House pays respects to late MP". The Straits Times. 15 June 1978. p. 8. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  5. ^ "Mr Lee Kuan Yew a 'brother to our workers': NTUC". Today. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  6. ^ "Members of Singapore Post and Telegraph Uniformed Staff Union in discussion during a 13-day postal strike in negotiation for fairer pay". nas.gov.sg. 13 May 1952. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  7. ^ "Work Continues As Postmen Picket GPO". Singapore Standard. 15 May 1952. p. 2. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  8. ^ "1963 Legislative Assembly General Election Results". Elections Department Singapore. 1963. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  9. ^ "1968 Parliamentary General Election Results". Elections Department Singapore. 1968. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  10. ^ Perumal Govindaswamy (16 July 1971). "MP: No truth in 'jump HDB queue' rumours". The Straits Times. p. 9. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  11. ^ "1972 Parliamentary General Election Results". Elections Department Singapore. 1972. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  12. ^ "Election Scoreboard". The Straits Times. 2 September 1972. p. 4. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  13. ^ "MRT SYSTEM STUDY TO COST $4.5M". The Straits Times. 20 March 1975. p. 6. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  14. ^ "1976 Parliamentary General Election Results". Elections Department Singapore. 1976. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  15. ^ "THE 16 WHO WERE RETURNED UNOPPOSED..." The Straits Times. 23 December 1976. p. 12. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  16. ^ Chia, Poteik; Ngiam, Tong Hi; Rodrigues, Christina; Chong, Elena; Teo, Edmund (23 March 1978). "No way you can compare RTS with Hollywood". The Straits Times. p. 8. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  17. ^ a b "Obituaries". The Straits Times. 24 October 1999. p. 38. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  18. ^ "MP heads Windsor Park Assn". Singapore Herald. 28 April 1971. p. 5. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  19. ^ "VITAL TO LEARN TO LIVE AT EASE WITH EACH OTHER: LEE". The Straits Times. 14 March 1972. p. 15. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  20. ^ "Govindaswamy re-elected". The Straits Times. 25 April 1974. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  21. ^ Koh, Boon Pin (23 May 1999). "Windsor Park clubhouse may have to go". The Straits Times. p. 28. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  22. ^ Urban Redevelopment Authority (31 August 2000), PROPOSED ERECTION OF 3 UNITS OF 2-STOREY TERRACE HOUSES EACH WITH AN ATTIC
  23. ^ Urban Redevelopment Authority (1 August 2002), SUBDIVISION OF LAND OF THE 2 STOREY TERRACE HOUSE
  24. ^ "MP for Anson dies". The Straits Times. 5 June 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  25. ^ "Man who always spoke from his heart, says the PM". The Straits Times. 6 June 1978. p. 5. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  26. ^ Ho, Ai Li (16 August 2015). "The MP who won affection with his sincerity". The Straits Times. p. 8. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  27. ^ "Goh leads ministers and MPs at Govin's funeral". The Straits Times. 7 June 1978. p. 8. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  28. ^ "Penghormatan akhir utk Govindaswamy". Berita Harian (in Malay). p. 8. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  29. ^ a b Ngoo, Irene (9 December 1978). "Joy and sadness for award recipients". The Straits Times. p. 8. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  30. ^ "Peguam Negara dahului senarai penerima pingat". Berita Harian (in Malay). 9 August 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  31. ^ "Republic of Singapore Government Gazette Extraordinary". Prime Minister's Office. 9 August 1978. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
Parliament of Singapore
Preceded by Member of Parliament for
Anson
1968 – 1978 		Succeeded by
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