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A colony on the way to becoming a nation

In 1819 the city of Singapore was founded by a British colonial administrator who recognized the convenient location of this place. From then on, the port was expanded and the region began to prosper. Singapore became a British crown colony in the mid-19th century.

The good location boosted the economy. The way from Europe to China passed Singapore on the water. More and more immigrants came and the place grew quickly. In 1921 the British made Singapore an important base for their fleet in Southeast Asia. During the Second World War, Singapore was occupied by the Japanese, who had previously also taken British Malaysia. The island was liberated again in September 1945 and returned to the British a year later.

But these could no longer exercise their former supremacy. In 1959, Singapore first became an autonomously governed crown colony, which gave it more independence. So it came about that the consciousness of a separate nation in Singapore grew and one strived for even greater independence from Great Britain.

Federation with Malaysia

On September 16, 1963, a federation was established with Malaysia, which, in addition to Malaysia and North Borneo with Sabah and Sarawak, also included Singapore. But this connection did not last long, because there were always arguments with Malaysia.

Independence

So Singapore became an independent state and republic in 1965. Political parties such as the People’s Action Party, or PAP for short, also emerged.

Tiger state Singapore

The early days were not easy for the new state of Singapore. Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew was primarily concerned with developing the country’s economy. He held the office from 1959 to 1990. Singapore developed from an emerging country to an industrialized state. Singapore is one of the four tiger states in Asia.

Tiger states are states that develop very quickly. The other tiger states are South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The comparison with the tiger fits, because a tiger develops a lot of power – just like these countries, whereby power here primarily means economic power.

Singapore’s economy grew by 8.5 percent every year from 1966 to 1990. The port city, where goods were handled, became a state that relied on industry and banking.

As a country located in Asia according to constructmaterials, Singapore is one of the founding members of the ASEAN countries. In this way, a poor developing country without significant raw materials became a country of great power within 20 years. But the price was high because other political opinions were suppressed. The People’s Action Party was and remained the only party in the country.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Lee Hsien Loong, the son of the first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, has been the new Prime Minister of Singapore since 2004, succeeding Goh Chok Tong.

Law

Lies forbidden and prescription for chewing gum

Anyone who lies in Singapore, and if this lie is proven, the liar can be severely punished. In Singapore, lying is equated with fraud and is punished with beating.

In addition, you are not allowed to chew gum in Singapore. Chewing gum may only be owned by someone who has received a prescription for chewing gum from their doctor. So chewing gum is treated like medicine in Singapore.

The death penalty still exists

The death penalty exists and is still being carried out in Singapore. This is the case in 24 other countries around the world, but Singapore is still a special case. Many states that still use the death penalty today are considered retrograde and are often very poor.

In Singapore, the barbaric death penalty is a striking contrast to the modernity and wealth of the country. Drug smugglers who bring or export drugs are also particularly severely punished. In the worst case, this also faces the death penalty. But as you may know, the US still has the death penalty.