SINGAPORE

Singapore

Singapore

1. Origins

The Republic of Singapore lies in South-East Asia. In 1826 the East India Company formed the Straits Settlements by the union of Singapore and the dependencies of Penang and Malacca on the Malay Peninsula. They came under British rule in 1867. In 1946, Singapore became a independent crown colony, and in 1959 achieved complete interior self-government. After seceding from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965, Singapore became an independent republic. Every election since 1972 has been won by the People's Action Party, albeit with declining levels of popular support. Singapore City is the capital. The official languages are Chinese (Mandarin), Malay (the national language), English and Tamil. (Chia, 2008)

Historical Context

In 1826 the East India Company formed the Straits Settlements by the union of Singapore and the dependencies of Penang and Malacca on the Malay Peninsula. They came under British rule in 1867 as a crown colony. Singapore was occupied by Japan for three years during the Second World War. At the end of the war in 1945, following Japan's defeat, Singapore was governed by a British military administration. When civil rule was reinstated in 1946, Singapore was separated from the other Channels Settlements and became a independent crown colony. A new Constitution, adopted in February 1955, introduced some measure of self-government, and in June 1959 the state achieved complete internal self-government, with Lee Kuan Yew as Prime Minister. The Federation of Malaysia came into being in September 1963, with Singapore as a constituent state. On 9 August 1965, following irreconcilable differences with the central Government in Malaysia, Singapore seceded from the federation and became an independent country. Singapore joined the UN in September and the Commonwealth in October. In December Singapore was proclaimed a republic, with a President as constitutional head of state. In May 1973 the last major links with Malaysia, concerning currency and finance, were renounced. In September 1972 Lee Kuan Yew's ruling People's Action Party (PAP) won all 65 parliamentary seats in a general election. (Ghesquiere 2007)

C. Origins Of Social Structure

Joined to the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula by a three-quarter-mile-long causeway, Singapore consists of a single large island, on which the city of Singapore is located, and some 50 adjacent islets. Situated at the crossroads of Southeast Asian trade routes, the country is one of the world's most densely populated, with some two-thirds of the population, about 14% Malay, 77% ethnic Chinese, and 7% Pakistani and Indian, residing in Singapore City. Religious divisions follow ethnic divisions: the Malays and Pakistanis are overwhelmingly Muslim, the Indians are Hindu, and the Chinese include Buddhists, Christians, Taoists, and Confucianists. Women constitute 43 percent of the active labor force and 24 percent of the 94 members of Parliament. (Hon 2010)

2. Political Overview

Established as a trading station by Sir Stamford RAFFLES in 1819, purchased by Great Britain in 1824, and subsequently organized as part of the Straits Settlements (with Malacca and Penang), Singapore became a crown colony in ...