Early History
Written accounts of the early history of Singapore are sketchy and the names used to refer to the
country are varied. In the third century, a Chinese account gave reference to Singapore as
Pu-luo-chung, or "island at the end of a peninsula". In 1320, however, the Mongol court sent a
mission to a place called Long Yamen (Dragon's Tooth Strait) to get elephants. This probably
referred to Keppel Harbour. A visitor from China, Wang Dayuan, who came around 1330,
called the main settlement Pancur (spring), and reported that there were Chinese already living
here. One of the earliest references to Singapore as Temasek, or Sea Town, was found in the
Javanese Nagarakretagama(1) of 1365. The name was also mentioned in a Vietnamese source at
around the same time. By the end of the 14th century, the Sanskrit name, Singapura (Lion City),
became commonly used.
Just at that time, Singapore was caught in the struggles between Siam (now Thailand) and the
Java-based Majapahit Empire for control over the Malay Peninsula. According to the Sejarah
Melayu (Malay Annals), Singapore was defeated in one Majapahit attack, but Iskandar Shah, or
Parameswara, a prince of Palembang, later killed the local chieftain and installed himself as the
island's new ruler. Shortly after, he was driven out, either by the Siamese or by the Javanese
forces of the Majapahit Empire. He fled north to Muar in the Malay Peninsula, where he founded
the Malacca Sultanate. Singapore remained an important part of the Malacca Sultanate; it was the
fief of the admirals (laksamanas), including the famous Hang Tuah.
Founding Of Modern Singapore
The British, who were extending their dominion in India, and whose trade with China in the
second half of the 18th century was expanding, saw the need for a port of call in this region to
refit, revitalise and protect their merchant fleet, as well as to forestall any advance by the Dutch in
the East Indies. As a result, they established trading posts in Penang (1786) and Singapore
(1819), and captured Malacca from the Dutch (1795).
In late 1818, Lord Hastings, Governor-General of India, gave tacit approval to Sir Stamford
Raffles, Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen, to establish a trading station at the southern tip of the
Malay Peninsula. On 29 January 1819, Raffles landed on the island of Singapore after having
surveyed other nearby islands. The next day, he concluded a preliminary
treaty with Temenggong Abdu'r Rahman to set up a trading post here. On
6 February 1819, a formal treaty was concluded with Sultan Hussein of
Johor and the Temenggong, the de jure and de facto rulers of Singapore
respectively.
Singapore proved to be a prized settlement. By 1820, it was earning
revenue, and three years later, its trade surpassed that of Penang. In
1824, Singapore's status as a British possession was formalised by two
new treaties. The first was the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of March 1824, by
which the Dutch withdrew all objections to the British occupation of Singapore. The second
treaty was made with Sultan Hussein and Temenggong Abdu'r Rahman in August, by which the
two owners ceded the island outright to the British in return for increased cash payments and
pensions.
The Straits Settlements
Singapore, together with Malacca and Penang, the two British settlements in the Malay Peninsula,
became the Straits Settlements in 1826, under the control of British India. By 1832, Singapore
had become the centre of government for the three areas. On 1 April 1867, the Straits
Settlements became a Crown Colony under the jurisdiction of the Colonial Office in London.
With the advent of the steamship in the mid-1860s and the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869,
Singapore became a major port of call for ships plying between Europe and East Asia. And with
the development of rubber planting, especially after the 1870s, it also became the main sorting
and export centre in the world for rubber. Before the close of the 19th century, Singapore was
experiencing unprecedented prosperity and trade expanded eightfold between 1873 and 1913.
The prosperity attracted immigrants from areas around the region. By 1860, the population had
grown to 80,792. The Chinese accounted for 61.9 per cent of the number; the Malays and
Indians 13.5 and 16.05 per cent respectively; and others, including the Europeans, 8.5 per cent.
The peace and prosperity ended when Japanese aircraft bombed the sleeping city in the early
hours of 8 December 1941. Singapore fell to the Japanese on 15 February 1942, and was
renamed Syonan (Light of the South). It remained under Japanese occupation for three and a half
years.
The Self-Governing Of Singapore
The British forces returned in September 1945 and Singapore came under the British Military
Administration. When the period of military administration ended in March 1946, the Straits
Settlements was dissolved. On 1 April 1946, Singapore became a Crown Colony. Penang and
Malacca became part of the Malayan Union in 1946, and later the Federation of Malaya in 1948.
Postwar Singapore was a contrast to the prewar country of transient immigrants. The people,
especially the merchant class, clamoured for a say in the government. Constitutional powers were
initially vested in the Governor, who had an advisory council of officials and nominated
non-officials. This evolved into the separate Executive and Legislative Councils in July 1947. The
Governor retained firm control over the colony, but there was provision for the election of six
members to the Legislative Council by popular vote. Hence, Singapore's first election was held on
20 March 1948.
When the Communist Party of Malaya tried to take over Malaya and Singapore by force, a state
of emergency was declared in June 1948. The emergency lasted for 12 years. Towards the end
of 1953, the British Government appointed a commission under Sir George Rendel to review
Singapore's constitutional position and make recommendations for change. The Rendel proposals
were accepted by the government and served as the basis of a new constitution that gave
Singapore a greater measure of self-government.
The 1955 election was the first lively political contest in Singapore's history. Automatic
registration expanded the register of voters from 75,000 to over 300,000, and for the first time, it
included large numbers of Chinese, who had manifested political apathy in previous elections. The
Labour Front won 10 seats. The People's Action Party (PAP), which fielded four candidates,
won three seats. David Marshall became Singapore's first Chief Minister on 6 April 1955, with a
coalition government made up of his own Labour Front, the United Malays National Organisation
and the Malayan Chinese Association.
Marshall resigned on 6 June 1956, after the breakdown of constitutional talks in London on
attaining full internal self-government. Lim Yew Hock, Marshall's deputy and Minister for Labour,
became the Chief Minister. The March 1957 constitutional mission to London led by Lim Yew
Hock was successful in negotiating the main terms of a new Singapore Constitution. On 28 May
1958, the Constitutional Agreement was signed in London.
Self-government was attained in 1959. In May that year, Singapore's first general election was held to
choose 51 representatives to the first fully elected Legislative Assembly. The PAP won 43 seats,
gleaning 53.4 per cent of the total votes. On June 3, the new Constitution confirming Singapore as a
self-governing state was brought into force by the proclamation of the Governor, Sir William Goode,
who became the first Yang di-Pertuan Negara (Head of State). The first Government of the State of Singapore was sworn in on June 5, with Lee Kuan
Yew as Singapore's first Prime Minister.
The PAP had come to power in a united front with the communists to fight British colonialism.
The communists controlled many mass organisations, especially of workers and students. It was
an uneasy alliance between the PAP moderates and the pro-communists, with each side trying to
use the other for its own ultimate objective -- in the case of the moderates, to obtain full
independence for Singapore as part of a non-communist Malaya; in the case of the communists,
to work towards a communist take-over.
The tension between the two factions worsened from 1960 and led to an open split in 1961, with
the pro-communists subsequently forming a new political party, the Barisan Sosialis. The other
main players in this drama were the Malayans, who, in 1961, agreed to Singapore's merger with
Malaya as part of a larger federation. This was also to include British territories in Borneo, with
the British controlling the foreign affairs, defence and internal security of Singapore.
The Proposal For Federated Malaysia
On 27 May 1961, the Malayan Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, proposed closer political
and economic co-operation between the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, North
Borneo and Brunei in the form of a merger. The main terms of the merger, agreed on by him and
Lee Kuan Yew, were to have central government responsibility for defence, foreign affairs and
internal security, but local autonomy in matters pertaining to education and labour. A referendum
on the terms of the merger held in Singapore on 1 September 1962 showed the people's
overwhelming support for the PAP's plan to go ahead with the merger.
Malaysia was formed on 16 September 1963, and consisted of the Federation of Malaya,
Singapore, Sarawak and North Borneo (now Sabah). Brunei opted out. Indonesia and the
Philippines opposed the merger. President Sukarno of Indonesia worked actively against it during
the three years of Indonesian confrontation.
Independence of Singapore
The merger proved to be short-lived. Singapore was separated from
the rest of Malaysia on 9 August 1965, and became a sovereign,
democratic and independent nation. Independent Singapore was admitted to the United Nations on 21
September 1965, and became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations on 15 October 1965. On 22 December 1965, it became a
republic, with Yusof bin Ishak as the republic's first President.
Thereafter commenced Singapore's struggle to survive and prosper
on its own. It also had to create a sense of national identity and
consciousness among a disparate population of immigrants.
Singapore's strategy for survival and development was essentially to
take advantage of its strategic location and the favourable world
economy.
Singapore's Industrialization And Prosperity
A massive industrialisation programme was launched with the extension of the Jurong industrial
estate and the creation of smaller estates in Kallang Park, Tanjong Rhu, Redhill, Tiong Bahru and
Tanglin Halt. The Employment Act and the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act were passed in
1968 to promote industrial peace and discipline among the workforce.
The Economic Development Board was reorganised in 1968 and the Jurong Town Corporation
and the Development Bank of Singapore were set up in the same year. In 1970, the Monetary
Authority of Singapore was established to formulate and implement Singapore's monetary
policies.
In 1979, after the shock of two oil crises, the Government started a programme of economic
restructuring. This was achieved by modifying education policies, expanding technology and
computer education, offering financial incentives to industrial enterprises and launching a
productivity campaign.
Public housing was given top priority. New towns sprang up and Housing and Development
Board apartments were sold at a low cost. To encourage home ownership, Singaporeans were
allowed to use their Central Provident Fund savings to pay for these apartments.
With the British Government's sudden decision in 1967 to withdraw its armed forces from
Singapore by the end of 1971, Singapore set out to build up its own defence forces. The
Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute was established in 1966 and compulsory national
service was introduced in 1967. A Singapore Air Defence Command and a Singapore Maritime
Command were set up in 1969. In August 1967, Singapore joined Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines and Thailand to form the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Singapore entered the 1970s as a politically stable state with a high rate of economic growth. The
one-party Parliament that emerged from the 1968 general election became the pattern, with the
PAP winning all seats in 1972, 1976 and 1980. In the 1984 and 1991 general elections, the PAP
won all but two and four seats respectively.
On 28 November 1990, a new chapter opened in Singapore's modern history. Goh Chok Tong
became the second Prime Minister of Singapore when he took over the office from Lee Kuan
Yew, who resigned after having been Prime Minister since 1959.
On 28 August 1993, Singapore's first Presidential Election was held. Former Deputy Prime
Minister and NTUC secretary general Ong Teng Cheong beat ex-accountant general Chua Kim
Yeow to become the Republic's first Elected President. After nine days of campaigning, Mr Ong
won 57.4 per cent of the total votes cast.
Important Resources Concerning Singapore
Singapore : Society, Culture And Religion
Makhdoom's Quest For The Truth
Logistics and Transportation
Makhdoom's Quality Quest