From muted mutterings to one victorious voice – the cries of MERDEKA resounded

Posted by Simply Jean under Blogging, National History
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A People's Action Party rally at Farrer Park in 1955 (MICA collection, Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)

For many Singaporeans, elections today are very much a non-event. Perhaps it is because the ruling party has remained in power for longer than most of us can remember and politically, major hurdles have been few and far between.

But back in 1959, things were different and the stakes were very much higher – our very survival as a nation hung in the balance. This was the first time the people long shrouded by the Union Jack, emerged to elect all their own representatives to the Legislative Assembly – the forerunner to today’s parliament.

But Singapore’s path to self-governance was not an easy one…

In 1953, a commission, headed by Sir George Rendel, was appointed to look into constitutional changes for the island. The Rendel Constitution as it became known, provided for a very limited type of self-government with the British administration still having a hand in running the country.

When David Marshall of the Labour Front party presided over Singapore as Chief Minister in 1955, he had a grand vision of paving the way for Singapore’s journey to complete self-rule. But Marshall’s administration was soon undermined by communist influences and worker unrest.

After the Hock Lee Bus riots in 1955, his main opponent, People Action’s Party’s Lee Kuan Yew, criticised Marshall’s government as being a shaky one. Marshall himself resigned in frustration in 1956 after talks on Singapore’s plans for self-rule with the British administration stalled repeatedly. The British felt that Marshall was still too soft on communism and they were not prepared to allow Singapore, a major trading base for the Empire, to be undermined.

After his departure from public office, Marshall’s mission was taken over by compatriot Lim Yew Hock, then second Chief Minister. Wary of making the same mistakes as his predecessor, Lim embarked on an anti-communist campaign between 1956 and 1958. After intense negotiations with the British, he finally convinced them to grant Singapore self-governance.

Reverse side of the 1959 General Elections Poll Card. (National Museum of Singapore, donated by Ms Edith Chua)

Hence, the 1959 general election was a special occasion. In April that year candidates from various parties contested a total of 51 seats during Singapore’s first elections. The People’s Action Party (PAP) contested all seats, the Singapore People’s Alliance had eyes on 39 seats, the United Malays National Organization for eight seats, the Liberal Socialist Part for 32 seats, the Workers’ Party for three seats, and the Labour Front for three seats with independent contenders vying for 34 seats.

Voter turnout surpassed all expectations. Of the 586,098 eligible voters, 90% of them lined up to cast their choices. Singaporeans were beginning to rally together and the first step was to find their voice.

Members of the first Legislative Assembly of Singapore marching to Parliament House (MICA collection, Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)

The PAP led by Lee Kuan Yew, won a landslide victory sweeping 43 seats of the Legislative Assembly in May that year. He went on to become the first Prime Minister of Singapore and is currently our nation’s Mentor Minister.

While Lim Yew Hock had successfully won Singapore a large measure of self-rule, he became, in a sense, a victim of his own success. His anti-communist stance alienated him from the majority Chinese populace. Many of them felt they were targeted in his sweep to stamp out the communist threat. There were numerous allegations of civil rights abuses and detention without trial. Tear gas was used on demonstrating students from several Chinese schools which included both anti-colonialist and anti-communist alike.

And so the people of Singapore had found their voice and spoken. Now it was for their elected representatives to chart the destiny of the nation.

The First Legislative Assembly of Singapore. (MICA collection, Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)

On the 3rd of June that year, Singapore’s first Legislative Assembly  convened. Among the leaders were Dr Toh Chin Chye (Deputy Prime Minister), Mr S. Rajaratnam (Minister of Culture), Dr Goh Keng Swee (Minister of Finance), Mr Ong Pang Boon (Minister of Home Affairs) and Mr Yong Nyuk Lin (Minister for Education). Also present were five women representatives who were elected into this Legislative Assembly – a sure sign of a forward-moving nation.

With the power to evoke change, policies could now be adopted without oversight from the colonial administration. It was critical that the members tackle the many pressing issues of the day including unemployment, law and order, health care, education, public housing and the provision of basic utilities. One of the main tasks back then was the release of people who were arrested because of alleged connections to the communists during the rule by the Labour Front.

Singapore’s own democratically elected legislature not only paved way for the deserved self-governance, but also the right to confer citizenship of its own accord. While a citizenship ordinance was passed in 1957 for residents born in Singapore to be conferred Singapore citizenships, they remained as British subjects. It was only in 1959 that Singapore had the right to grant citizenships on its own accord as a state.

For me, I’m way too young to remember those pivotal days of our history. Perhaps the closest I felt to such public euphoria was that day not too long ago when many gathered at the Padang to hear Singapore being announced as the host city for the world first Youth Olympic Games. Yeah maybe it pales in comparison to those heady days of 1959 but I’m sure they felt as I did, that collective swelling of national pride.

In researching this blog post, I wondered what the people must have felt like the day after when the euphoria of being granted self-determination had died down and the stark reality of the time set in. I’m sure many were uncertain as to the future of this new nation with no natural resources and precious little to offer in trade, could these new and untested leaders really walk the talk?

Critics, I’m sure there were many and nay-sayers would have abounded. Suddenly the lyrics of that famous National Day song We Are Singapore, began to make more sense. “There was a time when people said that Singapore won’t make it …but we did.”

Looking back, while we all knew stakes were high – our plans for self-government and independence could just have easily failed – but Singaporeans, as one nation, held their faith close to their hearts. It was this optimism, this unwavering determination to not just survive but prosper, that led our nation to who and what we are today.

To read the other offerings in this special series, see:

• The Road to Nationhood
• Symbols of State
  

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