Govindaswamy P

Perumal Govindaswamy (1911 - 1978) had humble beginnings as a postman but later became a member of parliament (MP), winning four successive elections and serving for 15 years from the Anson constituency. 

Born in India, he arrived in Singapore in 1927. Two years later, he joined the Postal Services Department as a postman. Over the years, he rose through the ranks and eventually retired in 1963 as inspector of posts, the highest rank in the department’s uniformed division. From 1947 to 1963, he was actively involved in the Union of Postal Workers and the Postal and Telecommunication Uniformed Staff Union.

A founding member of the People’s Action Party (PAP), Govindaswamy contested the Anson constituency in the 1963 general elections and defeated the incumbent, David Marshall of the Workers Party. He went on to win three successive elections in 1968, 1972 and 1976, unopposed. Upon his death due to a heart attack in 1978, a by-election was held in 1979 for the Anson constituency, which was won by PAP’s C V Devan Nair. However, when Nair resigned to become President of Singapore, the PAP lost Anson in 1981 to J B Jeyaretnam, the first opposition MP in independent Singapore.

Govindaswamy raised questions in Parliament on several issues, ranging from public transport to public parks, advertisements to television programmes, and inflation to immigration laws. When the government moved the bill to abolish the jury system in 1969, he stood as the sole dissenting voice among the PAP backbenchers. In 1976, when increases in road tax, vehicle registration fees and area licensing fees were imposed, he joined a few other MPs to sign a letter of protest to the Prime Minister. 

Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew remarked in 1977 that Govindaswamy was costing Parliament more than any other member, due to the expenses incurred in maintaining interpretation services for him as he chose to speak in Tamil (See: Tamil in Parliament). Later, Govindaswamy adopted a unique style in parliament, mixing English, Malay and Tamil. He often started with one language and switched to another midway, and finally concluded with a third, effectively driving his points home. His candid speeches, while often generating laughter, were respected by his colleagues as they reflected the sentiments on the ground.

In addition to his role as an MP for Anson, he also served as an adviser to citizens’ consultative committees and management committees for both Anson and Tanjong Pagar constituencies. He also served as Chairman of the Hindu Endowments Board, Hindu Advisory Board, and the Sri Mariamman Temple, as well as Vice-Chairman of the Singapore Indian Education Trust. In his obituary for Govindaswamy, then Minister for Health Dr Toh Chin Chye described him as a “qualitative man” with a political instinct for assessing good and bad administration or legislation. This keen sense was attributed to his experience in trade union work and continuous engagement with grassroots concerns.



For more information
Parliament of Singapore, Obituary Speeches, vol. 37 of Parliamentary Debates: Official Report, 14 June 1978, cols. 1545.
“Goh Leads Ministers and MPs at Govin’s Funeral,” The Straits Times, 7 June 1978, 8. (From NewspaperSG) 

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The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.