Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Chapter 10 To What Extent Did the People's Lives Change After…
Chapter 10 To What Extent Did the People's Lives Change After Independence
Social
Social Challenges
National Identity
Problem : No sense of belonging to Singapore
Many people had to make a decision regarding their citizenship as they were either born in Malaysia or other countries
Singapore government had to convince people to stay in Singapore and take up Singapore citizenship
Why was there a need to convince people to choose Singapore over Malaysia?
Ans: Manpower issues, Singapore needed a working population as well as people to be in the army
Lack of National Identity (No attachment to/pride for the country or others in Singapore)
Under the British Education System...
Majority of students who went to schools during colonial times were only taught in their own language
Caused limited interactions among different races and backgrounds
Not conducive to foster a common and united identity
Impact on people and country
What do you think happened to people who graduated from vernacular schools?
Fluent mostly in their own language, rarely interacted with people from other backgrounds
associated unity and identity only with their own ethnic group
did not see themselves as Singaporean
What are the implications of having citizens who lack national identity?
No sense of belonging or unity
unwilling to serve and defend the country
easily divided and pitted against each other
can lead to conflict
potential chaos
Solution
Introducing the concept of Singapore Citizenship
1957 – Citizenship Ordinance of 1957 was introduced, allowed people to become citizens of Singapore
1963 – Singapore citizens automatically became citizens of the Federation of Malaysia
1965 – Singapore citizens could not keep Malaysian citizenship. The National Registration Act of 1965 was introduced, came into effect in 1966 (Singaporeans received a pink IC)
Creation of National Identity
1966: All Singaporeans aged 12 and above must re-register themselves for citizenship
From 1966 onwards, Singapore citizens received a pink identity card, which served as a physical symbol of their identity as Singaporeans
The NRIC entitled them to the rights of citizenship such as voting, priority in employment over non-citizens, access to social services like education and healthcare
Creation of National Symbols
Why was there a need to introduce National Symbols?
Not everyone felt a sense of belonging to Singapore
Some people were not concerned about the future of Singapore
1959: The
State Flag
, the
State Crest
and the
State Anthem
were created to mark Singapore gaining full internal self-government from the British.
1965: The State Flag and the State Anthem were adopted as the
National Flag
and
National Anthem
. They were symbols that
help promote a common identity and sense of belonging among Singaporeans.
National Flag
Red: universal brotherhood and equality of man
White: pervading and everlasting purity and virtue
Crescent moon: represents a rising young nation
Five stars: Singapore's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality
How did this strategy solve the challenge of
building citizenship and sense of belonging?
Citizens would have a common identity as they learn and share the same values exemplified through the flag and national anthem
Citizens would believe in the ideals of Singapore (e.g. equality, multiracialism, peace) and choose to stay in Singapore and contribute to Singapore’s development
Forging of National Identity in Schools
Pledge was written to reflect ideals of building a united Singapore
It was written in English and then translated to Mandarin, Malay and Tamil.
1966: Flag-raising ceremonies were introduced in schools where the national anthem was sung and the pledge was recited every day
On 24th August 1966, about 500 000 students from over 500 schools assembled to recite the pledge for the first time.
How did these efforts in schools help Singaporeans develop a sense of identity?
Singaporeans have
unifying beliefs
as espoused in the pledge and national anthem
these set them apart from other nationalities and made them feel unique and rooted to the country
creates a sense of commitment to the country
developed a Singaporean identity
Housing
1960: Set up Housing Development Board (HDB)
By 1965, it had created 54,000 flats, enough to house 25% of the population
People now had access to electricity, potable tap water, waste disposal services, and toilet facilities in their own homes
By 1976, HDB flats housed more than half the population
HDB started building bigger houses
Education
Why was there a need for
Education
?
1965: 25% of population were of schoolgoing age and literacy rate was only 60% + 50,000 babies were born annually
What was done:
1957-1965: 83 new schools were built (about one/month)
English was chosen as the common language (did not favour any group)
1969: first integrated schools were set up
Greater emphasis on maths, science, and technical subjects allows steady supply of workers to attract MNCs
Equal opportunities for education for girls and boys as the government provided free primary education and they encouraged families to send both sons and daughters
Healthcare
Why was there a need for
Healthcare
?
Overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions, poor general hygiene habits
High infant mortality rate (27.3 deaths/1000 births)
What was done:
Rehoused people who lived near waterways to HDBs to avoid water pollution
1971: Passed Clean Air Act to regulate emission of pollutants
1960s-70s: Widened drains and canals to prevent flooding and spread of diseases like dengue and cholera
Hawkers had to be registered and licensed, meaning they had to observe proper hygiene practices and they moved off the streets to hawker centres (running water, proper waste disposal)
1968: Passed the Environmental Public Health Act which made littering and spitting punishable by fines
What was done:
Govt conducted public health campaigns
Expanded hospitals
Introduced the School Health Service that vaccinated students and conducted health and dental check-ups
Economics
Economic Challenges
Limited Trade with Malaysia
Malaysia was still Singapore's main trading partner but...
MY imposed tariffs on SG goods
MY reduced exports of raw tin and rubber to SG
Unemployment
1965: > 70,000 people were unemployed out of a total labour force of >700,000
SG's entrepot trade was declining
British were closing military bases (>40,000 people's livelihoods depended on supplying these bases)
1973 Oil Crisis
Conflict in the Middle East led to...
Increase in global oil prices
Increase in petrol and electricity prices in Singapore
Increase in cost of producing and transporting goods
Increase in price of goods
Decrease in demand for Singapore's exports
Decrease in economic growth rate
Increase in public transport fares
Increase in cost of living
How Singapore overcome Economic Challenges
Export-Oriented Industrialisation
Establishing of EDB
Attracted multinational corporations (MNCs) to SG e.g. Shell, Hewlett-Packard
Transformed 70km2 of land in Jurong to form Singapore's first industrial estate
Impact
Employed thousands of people
Increased exports
Developed Industries
Electronics
Petroleum refining
Shipbuilding and repair
Garments and textiles
Impact
By the early 1970s, there was a shortage of labour
Up until 1973, GDP increased by over 10% per year
Development of Infrastructure
Telecommunications
Improved telecommunications system to boost connectivity among industries and housholds
Singapore Telephone Board installed new telephones at rapid pace
Even though it took 85 years to install the first 100,000 telephones, it took just five years from 1967 to 1972 to double network size to 200,000
Banking and Finance
Banking and financial services were expected to meet the needs of MNCs and other companies in Singapore
The Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) was established in 1968 to finance Industrialisation and other development projects
Many foreign banks also set up operations in Singapore
Public Utilities
Public Utilities Board (PUB) was set up in 1963
Responsible for providing public utilities such as water, electricity and gas to industries and households
Continued to work after Singapore's independence
Improved both the operations of industries and people's living conditions
Transport Facilities
Air Transport
Expanded Paya Lebar Airport in the 1960s and 1970s to handle more passenger and cargo traffic
However, there was insufficient space for future expansion
Government decided in 1975 to replace Paya Lebar Airport with a larger airport
Changi Airport was opened in 1981
Sea Transport
Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) was formed in 1964 to mange Port operations
To cater rise in cargo traffic, PSA set up port facilities in Jurong, Sembawang, Tanjong Pagar and Pasir Panjang
Land Transport
Roads were constructed to connect industrial areas to housing estates
An expressway system was built to reduce the time needed to travel around the island
How did people's lives change?
Changes in living standards
Quality of life improved: people had better jobs and lived in better conditions
Could afford items like refrigerators and televisions which were previously luxuries
Greater rootedness
With improved conditions, people felt more rooted to the country (did not want to move elsewhere)
Could purchase their own homes