Singapore: History

Pre-20th-Century History

According to ancient Malay legend, a Sumatran prince encountered a lion - considered a good omen - on Temasek, prompting him to found Singapura, or the 'Lion City'. It mattered little that lions had never inhabited Singapore (more likely he saw a tiger); what did matter was the establishment of the region as a minor trading post for the powerful Sumatran Srivijaya empire and subsequently as a vassal state of the Javanese Majapahit empire in the mid-13th century.

Singapore might have remained a quiet backwater if not for Sir Stamford Raffles' intervention in 1819. The British had first established a presence in the Straits of Melaka (now called Malacca) in the 18th century, when the East India Company set out to secure and protect its line of trade from China to the colonies in India. Fearing another resurgence of expansionism by the Dutch - which had been the dominant European trading power in the region for nearly 200 years - Raffles argued for an increased British presence, which he was promptly given. Under his tutelage, Singapore's forlorn reputation as a fetid, disease-ridden colony was soon forgotten. Migrants, attracted by a tariff-free port, poured in by the thousands, and a flourishing colony with a military and naval base was established.

Modern History

Singapore's inexorable growth continued into the 20th century. However, the outbreak of WWII brutally exposed the fallacy of British might: they suffered the ignominy of defeat when Japan invaded the colony in 1941. The British were welcomed back after Japan's surrender in 1945, but their right to rule was no longer assured.

By the 1950s, burgeoning nationalism had led to the formation of a number of political parties as Singapore moved slowly towards self-government. The People's Action Party, with the Cambridge-educated Lee Kuan Yew as leader, was elected in 1959. Lee became prime minister, a position he was to hold for the next 31 years. In 1963, Singapore formed a union with Malaya (now Malaysia) but, by 1965, the nascent federation was in tatters. Singapore became independent soon after and was once again the economic success story of the region. Shrewd and pathologically pragmatic, Lee fashioned a government heavy on strict social order and the suppression of political opposition.

Lee Kuan Yew resigned as prime minister in 1990 and was replaced by Goh Chok Tong, a leader more inclined towards consultation and liberalism. The country's first presidential election was held in August 1993 - prior to that, presidents were elected by members of parliament. In 2004, Lee Kuan Yew's son, Lee Hsien Loong, took over as prime minister, with Goh Chok Tong assuming the new role of Senior Minister and Lee Kuan Yew becoming Minister Mentor.

Recent History

Economically, the Southeast Asian region's late-'90s downturn (a euphemism if ever there was one) hit Singapore as hard as anywhere else - in one three-month period in late 1998, unemployment doubled. The city-state is slowly bouncing back, however, and on the street things are lively as ever, though the exodus of well-trained professionals seeking glittering international opportunities is a growing concern.

Modern-day Singapore is well known for its clean, modern attitude but part of the efficiency involves a continued tough civil order stance, especially with regard to hard-line criminals. Since 1991, the Singapore government has executed over 400 murderers and (more commonly) drug-traffickers, giving the tiny nation the highest execution rate per population in the world.

In the August 2005 election SR Nathan was returned to the post of President although this was hardly an election. Opponents who wanted to run against him were deemed ineligible. Since 1959 Singaporean politics have been dominated by the People's Action Party (PAP)and this continued in the 2006 election.

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