PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed his condolences and shared his admiration for the late Tan Sri Devaki Krishnan’s contributions to society in a recent Facebook post.
Devaki Krishnan, the first woman to have served in the Malaysian civil service, held an important position in the movement to promote women in leadership and politics through her dedicated work and sacrifices. Anwar Ibrahim remarked that her legacy will be remembered forever.
He extended his condolences to her family, recognizing her as a significant figure in Malaysian history and politics.
Known as the Grand Dame of Malaysian Indian politics, Devaki was the first woman to have been elected to public office.
Her grandson, Datuk R. Ramanan, who was also the Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister, shared the news of her passing due to old age at the age of 100.
She was born in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan and had contested for the Alliance for the Sentul seat in 1959 but was not successful.
During her career in the civil defence, Devaki was stationed at the medical clinic at the Merdeka Stadium during the May 1969 riots, where she was responsible for providing care for 3,500 riot victims and the homeless.
She also made significant contributions to changes in the Guardianship of Infants Act in 1999, advocating for single mothers’ rights to care for their children.
She was married to P Krishnan, who passed away in 1998.
