Syed Nasir Ismail
Syed Nasir bin Ismail 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 – 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
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
