1981 Anson by-election

The 1981 Anson by-election was a parliamentary by-election held in Singapore on 31 October 1981 for the Anson Constituency. It was called following the resignation of Devan Nair, the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) from the People's Action Party (PAP), who had vacated the seat to become the third President of Singapore. The by-election marked a pivotal moment in Singapore's political history, as it resulted in the first opposition victory in Parliament since independence in 1965.

The by-election was contested by three candidates: Pang Kim Hin of the PAP, J.B. Jeyaretnam of the Workers' Party (WP), and Harbans Singh of the United People's Front (UPF). Jeyaretnam won with 51.9% of the vote, defeating the PAP candidate with a significant swing. His victory ended the PAP's unbroken control of all parliamentary seats since 1968 and marked the return of an opposition voice to the legislature. The result was seen as a breakthrough for opposition politics in Singapore, energising the opposition movement and reshaping the political landscape.

Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew acknowledged the result as a setback for the PAP and attributed the loss to voter discontent, particularly among younger and working-class constituents. The by-election highlighted concerns over issues such as the rising cost of living, housing, and employment. In the aftermath, the PAP sought to address these concerns while reinforcing its political base, and the outcome signalled a modest yet symbolically important shift in Singapore's tightly controlled political environment, as the PAP, while remaining the dominant party in Singapore politics, never again attained a government monopoly of all the seats in Parliament.