Singapore's Struggle for Independence (1942-1965)

How Did External Developments Influence the People's Responses to British Rule After World War II?

• Post-WWII changes in Singapore occurred against a backdrop of external developments.

• These developments influenced the people's responses to British rule and shaped the thinking and actions of the British.

Weakening of Colonial Rule

• Anti-colonial sentiments existed before WWII due to the suffering caused by European colonial rule.

• The defeat of European forces by Japan and the subsequent Japanese Occupation accelerated anti-colonial feelings.

• After the Japanese surrender, people saw a chance to rise against European colonial rulers.

• India gained independence in 1947.

• Indonesia gained independence from the Dutch two years later.

• In 1954, the Vietnamese overthrew their French colonial masters.

• Colonial rule in Asia appeared to be weakening, encouraging those who wished to be free from British rule.

Growing Influence of Communism

• The Cold War emerged as a conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union.

• Differences in ideology made continued cooperation unsustainable.

• Ideology Differences:

  • Control:

    • United States: Democracy/Capitalism, free elections with multiple parties.

    • Soviet Union: Communism, one-party rule (Communist Party).

  • Wealth:

    • United States: Private ownership, people could own businesses and property.

    • Soviet Union: Government ownership, goods allocated based on needs, government controlled resources.

  • Interests:

    • United States: Individual freedom valued.

    • Soviet Union: Community interests prioritized over individual freedom.

• Communist ideas appealed to those who felt unfairly treated.

• In 1917, communists in Russia tried to overthrow the country's leaders.

• After a violent civil war, the Russian communists established the Soviet Union, a communist dictatorship with limited political freedom.

• The government seized private property and placed it under state control.

Communism and Anti-Colonialism

• Communism opposed colonial rule for its exploitation of people.

• It found supporters in European colonies such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaya.

• Britain, as an ally of the United States in the Cold War, was concerned that its colonies would fall under communist control.

• In Singapore, the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) had considerable popular support, due to their resistance against the Japanese during WWII.

• After the war, the MCP aimed to end British rule and establish communist governments in Malaya and Singapore.

• The MCP worked to influence trade unions and Chinese-medium schools, stirring up anti-colonial feelings.

• They also attacked rubber plantations and tin mines in Malaya.

• When three European rubber planters in Malaya were murdered in June 1948, the British took action against the MCP.

• A State of Emergency was declared throughout Malaya, and the MCP was declared illegal.

• The Malayan Emergency lasted from 1948 to 1960, resulting in several thousand casualties.

• In 1950, the MCP attempted to assassinate the Governor of Singapore, Sir Franklin Gimson.

• One year later, the MCP assassinated Sir Henry Gurney, the High Commissioner of Malaya.

• British concerns deepened after the victory of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1949.

• Given the sizeable Chinese immigrant population in Malaya and Singapore, the British feared the appeal of communist ideas would grow among them.

• Britain wanted to reassert its rule over Malaya and Singapore after World War II but failed to recognize how their surrender to the Japanese had changed people's attitudes towards them.

• The British thus had to adapt their plans by addressing the people's concerns and winning their support.

How Did the British Attempt to Win Local Support?

• The British needed to address post-war problems to win the people's support.

Meeting Housing Challenges

• There was a shortage of housing due to wartime destruction, a post-war baby boom, and high birth rates.

• Significant portion of the population lived in slums.

• The Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) accelerated its building program, constructing 20,907 housing and shop units between 1947 and 1959.

• This was far below the estimated 10,000 units per year required to meet the growing population's housing needs.

• Housing shortages persisted throughout the 1950s.

Addressing Food Shortages

• Food was in short supply due to disrupted shipping and insufficient exports from neighboring countries.

• Wartime food rationing continued, malnutrition was widespread, and wages could not keep up with rising food prices.

• To avoid widespread unrest, the British established People's Restaurants to provide affordable meals.

• By the end of 1946, there were 10 People's Restaurants in Singapore.

Managing Industrial Unrest

• Unsatisfactory working conditions, housing shortages, and food shortages led to a wave of strikes.

• In 1947, there were over 300 strikes in Singapore, involving almost 70,000 workers.

• Many workers were members of trade unions.

• British officials suspected that communists within the trade unions were stirring up anti-colonial feelings and instigating the strikes.

• From 1947, all unions had to register with the government, which enabled the monitoring of their membership and restricted their ability to organize strikes.

• Nevertheless, trade unions continued to be active, and industrial unrest remained an issue in the 1950s.

Rebuilding the Economy

• Economic recovery was crucial to improving the lives of people in Singapore.

• The British repaired the ports, restoring Singapore's status as a trading center.

• The volume of trade surpassed pre-war levels due to worldwide demand for tin and rubber.

• This expansion of trade, together with greater control of trade union activities and abundant food harvests in 1948, ended the worst shortages and hardships in Singapore.

• Singapore continued to survive through the 1950s on entrepôt trade and processed raw materials from Malaya and Indonesia.

Allowing Local Political Participation

• In 1948, the British held an election, giving the people a say in who would represent them in the Legislative Council.

• Participation was very low, with only about 22,000 people registered to vote and 14,000 voters actually turned up.

• Out of the 22,395 people registered to vote in 1948, 10,141 were Indians and 5,627 were Chinese.

• The Singapore Progressive Party (SPP) won three out of the six elected seats.

Why Were There Riots in the Early 1950s?

• Despite British attempts to improve conditions, discontent remained.

Maria Hertogh Riots

• The Maria Hertogh Riots took place in late 1950, due to a custody battle over a 13-year-old girl.

• Maria was born in Java in 1937 to Dutch Catholic parents and was placed in the care of Che Aminah during the Japanese Occupation.

• After the war, Maria's mother tried to reclaim her daughter.

• The British judge ruled that Maria be returned to her natural parents.

• Some newspapers published sensationalized stories about Maria's life in the convent.

• The case was portrayed as a religious issue between Islam and Christianity.

• The judge eventually rejected Che Aminah's appeal, causing her supporters to react angrily.

• The riots continued for three days, resulting in 18 deaths and 173 injuries.

• A curfew was imposed.

Anti-National Service Riots

• The Anti-National Service Riots of 1954 were an expression of anti-colonial feelings.

• The National Service Ordinance was passed in 1953, requiring all males aged between 18 and 20 to register for National Service by May 1954.

• The announcement was unpopular among secondary students from Chinese-medium schools.

• About 500 students held a protest march on 13 May 1954, which turned violent.

• The British ordered the closure of all Chinese-medium schools, but this only escalated the unrest.

• Thousands of students locked themselves in classrooms at Chung Cheng High School in protest.

• The government postponed the registration for National Service.

• The incident boosted the morale and strength of the Chinese-educated students.

• In 1950, 80% of the government's education budget went to English-medium schools while only 6% was allocated to Chinese-medium schools.

How Did the British Respond to the Changing Attitudes of the Locals?

• The British recognized that the old system of government was no longer adequate, and the locals had to be granted more political power.

The Rendel Constitution

• The British formed the Rendel Commission in July 1953 to review the constitution of Singapore.

• The commission recommended limited self-government for Singapore.

• The Rendel Constitution was introduced in 1955.

• There would be a Council of Ministers headed by the Governor, comprising the Chief Minister and five other local ministers, and three British ministers.

• The Legislative Council would be renamed the Legislative Assembly.

• The six local ministers would control areas over education, health, housing, and trade and industry.

• British ministers would control law, finance, external affairs, external defence and internal security.

• The Rendel Constitution proved to be an important step in Singapore's journey towards self-government, leading to an election in April 1955.

1955 Election

• The 1955 election aroused far greater interest and generated much political activity.

• Eligible voters were automatically registered instead of having to register themselves, making it easier to vote.

• Two political parties that gained prominence were the Labour Front (LF) and the People's Action Party (PAP).

  • Labour Front (LF):

    • Led by David Marshall.

    • Supported immediate independence for Singapore.

    • Prioritized workers' rights and working conditions.

    • Fought to extend Singapore citizenship to China-born immigrants.

  • People's Action Party (PAP):

    • Co-founded by Lee Kuan Yew, Dr Goh Keng Swee, Dr Toh Chin Chye, S. Rajaratnam and Kenneth Michael Byrne.

    • Opposed British rule and wanted immediate independence for Singapore.

    • Sought to win the support of workers, trade unions and students in Chinese-medium schools.

• The parties campaigned hard to raise political awareness and win support.

• The campaigns focused on anti-colonialism.

• The LF and the PAP convinced many that they could bring an end to British rule.

• In the 1955 election, a total of 79 candidates contested the 25 elected seats in the Legislative Assembly.

• About 160,000 people turned up to vote.

• The LF emerged as the biggest winner, clinching 10 out of the 25 seats.

• The results shocked the colonial authorities.

How Did Singapore Achieve Internal Self-Government?

• Having won the most seats, the LF formed a coalition to head the government.

• David Marshall became Singapore's first Chief Minister.

• The Governor and his British officials did not offer him full support.

Hock Lee Bus Riots

• The Hock Lee Bus Strike broke out a month after the LF won the 1955 election.

• The strike turned violent.

• The incident presented a major challenge to the LF government.

• The British viewed it as a test of the new government's ability to deal with communist influences.

• In late April 1955, workers from the Singapore Bus Workers' Union (SBWU) went on strike.

• The bus company dismissed 229 workers.

• Striking workers went on a hunger strike and blocked the gates of the bus depot.

• The police used batons to clear the crowd.

• Over the next few days, more than 10,000 students from Chinese-medium schools gathered to support the striking workers.

• David Marshall tried to settle the dispute, but the two parties could not reach an agreement.

• On 12 May, tensions reached a climax, resulting in four deaths and 31 injuries.

• On 14 May 1955, the Hock Lee Bus Riots ended after the government helped to negotiate an agreement.

• The dismissed workers got their jobs back.

The First Merdeka Talks (1956)

• In April 1956, David Marshall led a mission to London to press for Singapore's self-government.

• Marshall demanded full internal self-government for Singapore by 1957.

• The talks did not go well due to British doubts about the LF government's ability to maintain law and order and to deal with the communist threat.

• Marshall and his delegation returned to Singapore empty-handed.

• He stepped down as Chief Minister, and Lim Yew Hock took over.

Chinese Middle School Student Riots

• Lim Yew Hock wanted to succeed where David Marshall had failed.

• His government needed to show its ability to control the communists.

• In September 1956, Lim Yew Hock's government banned the Singapore Chinese Middle School Students' Union (SCMSSU).

• The government ordered the expulsion of 142 students from several schools.

• Students camped at both schools in protest.

• Large crowds gathered outside the schools.

• The demonstrations turned violent, and troops from Malaya were called in to restore order.

• By the time order was restored on 28 October, 13 people had died, and more than 120 had been injured.

• The British were pleased with Lim Yew Hock's handling of the riots, strengthening his position in discussions about self-government.

The Second Merdeka Talks (1957)

• In 1957, Lim Yew Hock led another delegation to London to renegotiate for full internal self-government.

• The delegation agreed to leave external affairs and external defence in the hands of the British.

• The second round of the Merdeka Talks succeeded in securing full internal self-government for Singapore.

• A concluding round of talks was held in London in 1958 to finalize the details of the agreement.

• A new constitution was drawn up, and the British Parliament passed a State of Singapore Act that converted the colony into a state with control over all domestic issues except for internal security.

1959 Election

• For the election, Singapore was divided into 51 constituencies.

• A total of 13 political parties took part and 194 candidates stood for election.

• Compared to the 1955 election, people showed an even greater interest.

• This increased interest was partly due to the Citizenship Ordinance of 1957, which enabled some 320,000 residents to become Singapore citizens.

• Compulsory voting was also introduced.

• The LF, renamed the Singapore People's Alliance (SPA) in 1958, performed poorly.

• The PAP scored a landslide victory, winning 43 out of the 51 seats they had contested.

• On the evening of 3 June 1959, a crowd of 50,000 assembled at the Padang in front of City Hall to greet the start of Singapore's internal self-government.

• Lee Kuan Yew rallied the people with a message of unity and hope.

• Singapore successfully achieved full internal self-government.

• Yusof bin Ishak was sworn in as the new Head of State, the Yang di-Pertuan Negara, on 3 December.

• Singapore's State Flag, State Crest and State National Anthem were unveiled.

• The State National Anthem, "Majulah Singapura", replaced Britain's "God Save the Queen".

Progress Towards Internal Self-Government, 1948-1959

First Election, 1948

• Limited Legislative Council

• British-appointed officials with 9 officials, nominated by the Governor

• 13 non-officials

  • 3 selected by the Singapore, Chinese, and Indian Chambers of Commerce

  • 6 elected by the people

  • 4 nominated by the Governor

Self-Government, 1955

• Council of Ministers

• Chief Minister and 5 other local ministers

• Appointed from 25 elected members of the Legislative Assembly

• In charge of education, health, housing, and trade and industry

• 3 British Ministers (Nominated by the Governor)

• In charge of law, finance, external affairs, external defense and internal security

Full Internal Self-Government, 1959

• Head of State (Yang di-Pertuan Negara)

• Cabinet

• Prime Minister and 8 other local ministers

• Appointed from 51 elected members of the Legislative Assembly

• 51 elected members were in charge of culture, education, finance, health, home affairs, housing, law and labor, and trade and industry

Conclusion

• The post-war period in Singapore saw locals becoming more discontented with British rule due to external influences and hardships.

• Increasing anti-colonial sentiments led to strikes and riots, but also to greater political participation.

• In 1959, Singapore attained full internal self-government, ushering in a new phase in its history, but still not an independent nation.