Singapore Leaders in the 1950s

The Role of the Leaders in Singapore’s Progress : Especially with respect to these events: The Merdeka Talks 1955 and 1959 Elections

How did the leaders and their ‘Leadership qualities and contributions’ play a significant role in Singapore’s progress?

Leaders in the 1950s

1959 elections

Outcomes of good leadership?

Progress towards internal self-govt

Progress towards internal self-govt

Progress towards internal self-govt Shared area of responsibility: Internal Security Under British Control: External Affairs and External Defence For Internal Security, local and British representatives sat on the Internal Security Council and shared responsibility for Singapore’s security. With internal self-government, Singapore would then be known as the State of Singapore. A head of State (the Yang di-Pertuan Negara) would replace the British Governor. The Legislative Assembly of 51 members could debate issues in English, Malay, Mandarin or Tamil.

1959 Elections The 1959 Elections was Singapore’s first fully democratic election. A total of 525,000 people voted. Voting was made compulsory to ensure that people took part in the process of choosing their government. The jump in the number of voters was also due to the law known as the Citizenship Ordinance passed in 1957. This law allowed Singapore who were not born in Singapore to become citizens.

1959 Elections Compared to six parties in 1955, 13 parties took part in the election. There were 194 candidates running for seats in the government. Intense campaigning took place as parties tried to win the trust and votes of the people. There was increased interest by the general public on who should govern Singapore.

1959 Elections The PAP impressed the people with their plans, incorruptibility and unity while the other parties appeared disunited. As a result the PAP won 43 out of 51 seats in the Legislative Assembly. As the PAP had obtained a large majority in the Legislative Assembly, it formed the new government. Lee Kuan Yew, the leader of the PAP became the first Prime Minister. A few months later, Yusof bin Ishak became the Head of State.

Self-governement Singapore had its own national anthem, its own state crest and its own national flag to replace the symbols of British government. However, Singapore was not an independent nation as the British still retained control over some areas and the Queen appointed the Head of State.