Syed Nasir Ismail

Tun Dato' Syed Nasir bin Ismail ( ;
7 March 1921– 1982) was a Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. During his lifetime, he was known as a nationalist who sought to fight for the primacy of the  national language in Malaysia as a means to create a national identity through the closing down of public-funded Mandarin and Tamil vernacular schools. Tun Syed Nasir sees a common education system for all as a solution to this dilemma. A prominent politician from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) – the leading party of the governing Barisan Nasional coalition – he served as the 5th Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat from 1978 till his death in 1982.

He was born in Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia, and is of Hadhrami Arab descent.

Awards and recognitions

Honours of Malaysia
  : Companion of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (J.M.N.) (1961)
  : Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (P.M.N.) (1971)
  : Grand Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (S.S.M.) (1982)

Places named after him
Several places were named after him, including:
 Kolej Tun Syed Nasir, a residential college at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor
 Kolej Tun Syed Nasir, a residential college at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat, Johor
 Politeknik Tun Syed Nasir Syed Ismail in Muar, Johor
 Taman Tun Syed Nasir, a residential area in Muar, Johor
 Kampung Kenangan Tun Syed Nasir in Muar, Johor

References

Category:1921 births
Category:1982 deaths
Category:Speakers of the Dewan Rakyat
Category:Malaysian people of Yemeni descent
Category:People from Batu Pahat
Category:Hadhrami people
Category:People from Johor
Category:Malaysian people of Malay descent
Category:Malaysian Muslims
Category:United Malays National Organisation politicians
Category:Grand Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia
Category:Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm
Category:Companions of the Order of the Defender of the Realm