Colonial History

Accounts of Singapore’s early history are vague and little was known about the island in the West until the early nineteenth century. Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles landed on the island on January 29, 1819 and on the following day, negotiated a preliminary treaty with Temenggong Abdu’r Rahman to set up a trading post. The formal treaty was concluded on February 6, 1819 with Sultan Hussein of Johor and the temenggong, which confirmed that the British East India Trading Company had the right to set up a trading post at Singapore. Singapore’s prime location at the center of the India-China trade led to its great success as a trading center. In 1824, two treaties, one with the Hussein and the temenggong and the other with the Dutch, confirmed Singapore’s status as a British possession.

In 1826, Singapore, along with Penang and Malacca, British settlements in the Malay Peninsula, became the Straits Settlements under the control of British India. Singapore soon overshadowed the other colonies and eventually became the center of government in 1832. In 1867, the Straits Settlements became a British Crown Colony. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1889 and the advent of steamships played a significant role in the further development of Singaporean trade. These developments launched a new era of prosperity for the island. The development of a market for rubber and tin was a huge factor in Singapore’s emergence as a major port. In 1923, the British built a naval base, which was soon supplemented by an air base in response to a growing Japanese threat to the stability of the area.

The advent of the Second World War brought the era of prosperity to a grinding halt. The Japanese captured Singapore on February 15, 1942 and retained control for three and a half years. The island was renamed Shonan and was designated the capital of Japan’s southern region. On September 5, 1945, the British forces returned to Singapore, which came under the British Military Administration. The period of military administration ended in April 1946, when the Malayan Union was formed, with Singapore as a separate crown colony with civil rule. The first election in Singapore was held on March 20, 1948. In June 1948, communist leaders in Singapore began fermenting acts of terrorism and violence on the mainland, which led Singapore and Malaya to declare a state of emergency. This state of emergency was in place for twelve years, though most of the conflict was limited to the mainland.

In 1953, the colonial government appointed Sir George Rendel to lead a commission to review the Singapore constitution. This commission gave Singapore greater autonomy. The 1955 elections were the first lively election in Singapore’s history and led to the People’s Action Party (PAP) winning three seats and the Labor Front winning ten. David Marshall became the country’s first Chief Minister on April 6, 1955. Marshall resigned after a year as chief minister following the breakdown of constitutional talks in London regarding full independence for Singapore. He was succeeded by deputy chief minister Lim Yew Hock. Lim led another constitutional mission to London in 1957, which was successful in negotiating the main terms of a new Singaporean Constitution. On May 28, 1958, the Constitutional Agreement was signed in London. Self-government was attained in 1959 and the first general elections were held in May of that year. The PAP won 43 of the 51 seats, gleaning a stunning victory. On June 3, 1959, the new Constitution confirming Singapore as a self-governing state came into effect and the first government of Singapore was sworn in two days later with Lee Kuan Yew as Singapore’s first Prime Minister.

On May 27, 1961, the Malayan Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman proposed a merger between Singapore, Malaya, Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei. This proposal led to a split in the PAP, which led to rebel assemblymen forming a new political party called Barisan Sosialis. In September 1962, Lee called for a referendum on the proposal, which showed that people supported the PAP and the merger. On September 16, 1963, the Federation of Malaysia was formed and included the states of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, and North Borneo. This merger proved to be short lived as tensions between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore caused outbreaks of violence. On August 9, 1965, Malaysia voted unanimously in favor of separation from Singapore and Singapore became a sovereign, democratic, and independent state.