Colony of Singapore
Colony of Singapore (1946–1958) State of Singapore (1958–1963) | |||||||||||||||||
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1946–1963 | |||||||||||||||||
Motto: Dieu et mon droit (French) (1946–1959) (English: "God and my right") Majulah Singapura (Malay) (1959–1963) (English: "Onward Singapore") | |||||||||||||||||
Anthem: "God Save the King" (1946–1952) "God Save the Queen" (1952–1959)[note 1] "Majulah Singapura" (1959–1963) (English: "Onward Singapore") | |||||||||||||||||
Status | Crown colony | ||||||||||||||||
Capital | Singapore City 1°18′N 103°51′E / 1.30°N 103.85°E | ||||||||||||||||
Official language and national language | English | ||||||||||||||||
Common languages | |||||||||||||||||
Government | Constitutional monarchy | ||||||||||||||||
Monarch | |||||||||||||||||
• 1946–1952 | George VI | ||||||||||||||||
• 1952–1963 | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||||||
Sir William Goode | |||||||||||||||||
• 1959–1963 | Yusof Ishak | ||||||||||||||||
Chief Minister[2] | |||||||||||||||||
• 1955–1956 | David Marshall | ||||||||||||||||
• 1956–1959 | Lim Yew Hock | ||||||||||||||||
• 1959–1963 | Lee Kuan Yew | ||||||||||||||||
Legislature | Legislative Council (1946–1955) Legislative Assembly (1955–1963) | ||||||||||||||||
Historical era | British Empire · Cold War | ||||||||||||||||
• Dissolution of the Straits Settlements | 1 April 1946 | ||||||||||||||||
• Labuan transferred to North Borneo | 15 July 1946 | ||||||||||||||||
• The Colony of Singapore being conferred city status by King George VI | 1951 | ||||||||||||||||
• Cocos (Keeling) Islands transferred to Australia | 23 November 1955 | ||||||||||||||||
• Christmas Island transferred to Australia | 1 October 1958 | ||||||||||||||||
• Autonomy within the British Empire | 1959 | ||||||||||||||||
• Merger with the Federation of Malaysia | 16 September 1963 | ||||||||||||||||
Currency |
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Time zone | UTC+07:30 (Malaya Standard Time) | ||||||||||||||||
Date format | dd-mm-yyyy | ||||||||||||||||
Driving side | left | ||||||||||||||||
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Today part of | Singapore Australia Malaysia | ||||||||||||||||
Notes
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History of Singapore | |
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2003 | |
H1N1 pandemic | 2009-2010 |
Little India riot | 2013 |
2018 North Korea–United States Singapore Summit | 2018 |
Coronavirus pandemic | 2020–present |
The Colony of Singapore was a
After a few years of self-governance, Singapore went on to merge with
History
Post war period: return of British rule
After Japan surrendered to the Allies on 15 August 1945, there was a state of anomie in Singapore, as the British had not yet arrived to take control, while the Japanese occupiers had a considerably weakened hold over the populace. Incidents of looting and revenge killing were widespread.
When British troops returned to Singapore in September 1945, thousands of Singaporeans lined the streets to cheer them. Singapore was ruled by a British Military Administration (BMA) between September 1945 and March 1946, during which it also served as the headquarters of the British governor-general for Southeast Asia. However, much of the infrastructure had been destroyed, including electricity and water supply systems, telephone services, and the harbour facilities at the Port of Singapore.[3]
There was also a shortage of food, including rice, and this led to malnutrition, disease, and rampant crime and violence. Unemployment, high food prices, and workers' discontent culminated in a series of strikes in 1947 causing massive stoppages in public transport and other services. By late 1947 the economy began to recover, facilitated by the growing demand for tin and rubber around the world. Several more years elapsed before the economy returned to pre-war levels.[3]
From colony to state
On 1 April 1946, the Straits Settlements was dissolved and Singapore became a Crown Colony with a civil administration headed by a Governor and separated from peninsular Malaya. In July 1947, separate Executive and Legislative Councils were established and provisions were made to allow for the election of six members of the Legislative Council the next year.[5] On 30 November 1959, the Singapore State Arms and Flag and National Anthem Ordinance 1959 was passed to regulate the use and display of the State Arms, State Flag and the performance of the National Anthem.[6]
Merger with Malaysia
The failure of the British to defend Singapore had destroyed their credibility as infallible rulers in the eyes of the locals in Singapore. The decades after and during the war saw a political awakening amongst the local populace and the rise of nationalist and
Independence
On 9 August 1965, Singapore officially left Malaysia to become the independent Republic of Singapore, due to political, economic and racial disputes.
Government
First Legislative Council (1948–1951)
The
Three of the elected seats were won by a newly formed
Three months after the elections, an armed insurgency by communist groups in Malaya – the
Since the left-wing groups were the strongest critics of the colonial system, progress on self-government stalled for several years. The colonial government also tried to prevent contacts between Singaporean Chinese and
Second Legislative Council (1951–1955)
A second Legislative Council election was held in 1951 with the number of elected seats increased to nine. This election was again dominated by the SPP which won six seats. This slowly contributed to the formation of a distinct government of Singapore, although colonial administration was still dominant.
In 1953, with the communists in Malaya suppressed and the worst of the 'Emergency' period over, the government appointed a commission, headed by Sir George Rendel, to study the possibility of self-government for Singapore. The commission proposed a limited form of self-government.
The
The government agreed with the recommendations, and Legislative Assembly elections were scheduled for 2 April 1955. The election was a lively and closely fought affair, with several newly formed political parties joining the fray. In contrast to previous elections, voters were automatically registered, expanding the electorate to around 300,000. The SPP was soundly defeated in the election, winning only four seats. The newly formed, left-leaning Labour Front was the largest winner with ten seats and was able to form a coalition government with the UMNO-MCA-MU, which won three seats.[3] Another new party, the then leftist People's Action Party (PAP), won three seats.
Administration
On 1 April 1946, the Colony of Singapore was formed with Cocos-Keeling, Christmas Island after the dissolution of the Straits Settlements. As a Crown colony, Singapore inherited the hierarchical organisational structure of the Straits Settlements government with a governor, who was assisted by an Advisory Executive Council, a Legislative Council and a Municipal Council.[7] In July 1946, Labuan became part of the Crown Colony of North Borneo.[8][9] The sovereignty of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands was transferred to Australia in 1955. The administration of Christmas Island was also transferred to Australia in 1958.
Governors of Singapore (1946–1959)
The Governors of Singapore ruled the Crown Colony of Singapore from 1946 to 1959, on behalf of the Colonial Office. When Singapore gained self-governance in 1959, the Office of the Governor was abolished.
- Bose, Romen, "THE END OF THE WAR: The Liberation of Singapore and the aftermath of the Second World War", Marshall Cavendish, Singapore, 2005
Notes
- Commonwealth realms. The words King, he, him, used at present (in the reign of Charles III), are replaced by Queen, she, her when the monarch is female.
References
- ^ Berry, Ciara (15 January 2016). "National Anthem". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
- ^ "Singapore : History | The Commonwealth". thecommonwealth.org. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h LePoer, Barbara Leitch (1989). "Singapore – Aftermath of War". Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "State of Singapore Act is passed – Singapore History". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "Towards Self-government". Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, Singapore. Archived from the original on 13 July 2006. Retrieved 18 June 2006.|
- ^ Singapore State Arms and Flag and National Anthem Ordinance 1959 (No. 70 of 1959), now the Singapore Arms and Flag and National Anthem Act (Cap. 296, 1985 Rev. Ed.).
- ^ Electoral representation for the new Singapore Council. (2 April 1946). The Straits Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Tan, T. Y. L. (1999). The Singapore legal system (pp. 40–42). Singapore: Singapore University Press. Call no.: RSING 349.5957 SIN.
- ^ "North Borneo Joins Empire". The Straits Times. 16 July 1946. p. 1. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ "N. BORNEO BECOMES A COLONY". The Singapore Free Press and Daily News. 16 July 1946. p. 5. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.