History of Singapore

History of Singapore

Singapore belongs to the littoral states of the Straits of Malacca which includes Malaysia and Indonesia. The strait is situated between the coastline of Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore to the East and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the West.
Singapore is at the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula.
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The Malay Annals has records how it got its present name. A ruler of present day Indonesia landed there seeking shelter from a storm. On landing, he saw an animal he took for a lion, hence, he named the settlement he established “Singapura” or "Lion City". It was changed to Singapore by the end of the 14th century. Prior to it’s annexation to the British Empire, it was constantly caught in the rivalry of her neighbors (Thailand Indonesia and the Java-based Majapahit Empire) for control over the Malay Peninsula. It was a part of the Malacca Sultanate till the early 19th century and was under the rule of the Sultan of Malaysia.

The British East India Company founded a settlement in Singapore in 1819.It was populated with 1,000 indigenous inhabitants, composed of Malays and sea nomads. The Chinese traders and gambier planters occupied the interior.

In the second half of the 18th century Britain saw the need for a port of call in the region to stall the advances by the Dutch in the East Indies. Lord Hastings, the Governor-General of India, instructed Sir Stamford Raffles to establish trading stations at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. Singapore became a British possession thru the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of March 1824.Under the straits settlement of September 1826, the British annexed Malacca and Penang. Singapore became the center of government for the three areas. On 1 April 1867, the Straits Settlements became a Crown Colony.

The advent of the steamship and the opening of the Suez Canal in 1860 made Singapore a major port of call for ships plying Europe and East Asia. Commerce and trade expanded between 1873 and 1913.This attracted migration. By 1860, the population grew to 80,000. The Chinese, Malays, Indians and European minority infused their variety in culture and religion to the present society.


Singapore was invaded by the Japanese on 15 February1942. She remained under Japanese control for three years until her liberation by British forces in 1945. When the Straits Settlements was dissolved on 1 April 1946, Singapore became one of the Crowns Colony. The Singaporeans of postwar era clamored for more participation in government. To address this, a Legislative Council and Executive Council was formed as advisory bodies to the Governor. In 1953 Sir George Rendel was appointed by Britain to head a commission to review Singapore's position for the purpose of granting her independence. Self-government was attained in 1958 and Lee Kuan Yew was elected Singapore's first Prime Minister.

It’s strategy for survival and development hinged on its strategic location. It launched a massive industrialization program. To promote industrial peace and discipline among the work force, the Employment Act and the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act were passed in 1968.The Economic Development Board was reorganized 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. Education policies were modified, a productivity campaign was launched and public housing was given top priority.

The Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute was established in 1966 and compulsory national service was introduced in 1967. In August 1967, Singapore joined Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The British forces withdrew in the end of 1971.

Present day Singapore entered the 70s as a politically stable state with a high rate of economic growth. It has a territorial land area of 697 square kilometers comprised of one mainland and 63 offshore islands. The three main racial groups are Chinese (75 %), Malays (14 per cent) and Indians (9 per cent). Malay is the national language and English is the language of administration. Buddhism and Taoism are traditional Chinese religions that are practiced by 51 per cent of the population. Muslims and Hindus remained are of 15 per cent and 4 per cent respectively. The labor force comprises 65 per cent of the resident population aged 15 years and above. About 82 per cent of the people reside in flats provided by the government. Singaporeans live and work in a safe environment.