People, Cultures, Societies and Economies in Asia

1
People, Cultures, Societies and Economies in Asia
Focus Singapore
2
Session Outline

• Multicultural Singapore
• History of Singapore
• Modern Singapore

3
Multicultural Singapore Ethnic Groups

• Chinese 76.4
• Hokkien (43 of the Chinese population)
• Teochiu (22)
• Cantonese (16)
• Malay 14.9
• Java origination 50-60
• Bawean Island 15-20
• Indians 6.4
• Tamils (64 of the Indian population)
• Malayalis (8)
• Punjabis (8)
• Gujaraits (1)
• Others (19)
• Others 2.3

LUCK
Source Singapore Library of Congress
4
Multicultural Singapore Languages
Singapore Chinese Speech Groups and their
alternate Names
Source Singapore Library of Congress
5
Multicultural Singapore Languages
Population by Ethnic Group and Language
Source Singapore Library of Congress
6
Multicultural Singapore Religions

• Buddhist 28.3
• Christian 18.7
• No Religion 17.6
• Islam 16
• Daoist 13.4
• Hindu 9
• Sikhs, Parsis, Jews 1.1

Source Singapore Library of Congress
7
History of Singapore Pre Colonial

• In the third century, a Chinese account gave
  reference to Singapore as Pu-luo-chung, or
  "island at the end of a peninsula
• One of the earliest references to Singapore as
  Temasek, or Sea Town, was found in the Javanese
  Nagarakretagama' of 1365
• By the end of the 14th century, the Sanskrit
  name, Singapura (Lion City), became commonly used

Source Asian Network Information Center
8
History of Singapore Pre Colonial

• In the 14th century, Singapore was caught in the
  struggles between Siam (now Thailand) and the
  Java-based Majapahit Empire for control over the
  Malay Peninsula
• Singapore was defeated in one Majapahit attack,
  but Iskandar Shah, or Parameswara, a prince of
  Palembang, later killed the local chief and
  installed himself as the island's new ruler
• Shortly after he was driven out and fled north to
  Muar in the Malay Peninsula, where he founded the
  Malacca Sultanate
• Singapore remained an important part of the
  Malacca Sultanate

Source Asian Network Information Center
9
History of Singapore Colonial Time

• The British saw the need for a port of call in
  the region to refit, revitalise and protect their
  merchant fleet, as well as to forestall any
  advance by the Dutch in the East Indies
• As a result, they established trading posts in
  Penang (1786) and Singapore (1819), and captured
  Malacca from the Dutch (1795)
• In late l818, Lord Hastings, Governor-General of
  India, gave approval to Sir Stamford Raffles,
  Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen, to establish a
  trading station at the southern tip of the Malay
  Peninsula

Source Asian Network Information Center
10
History of Singapore Colonial Time

• On 29 January 1819, Raffles landed on the island
  of Singapore
• On 6 February 1819, a formal treaty was concluded
  with Sultan Hussein of Johor and the Temenggong,
  the de jure and de facto rulers of Singapore
  respectively
• In 1824, Singapore's status as a British
  possession was formalised by two new treaties
• The first was the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of March
  1824, by which the Dutch withdrew all objections
  to the British occupation of Singapore
• The second treaty was made with Sultan Hussein
  and Temenggong Abdu'r Rahman in August, by which
  the two owners ceded the island out right to the
  British in return for increased cash payments and
  pensions

Source Asian Network Information Center
11
History of Singapore Colonial Time

• Before the end of the 19th century, Singapore was
  experiencing unprecedented prosperity and trade
  expanded eightfold between 1873 and 1913
• The prosperity attracted immigrants from areas
  around the region. By 1860, the population had
  grown to 80,792. The Chinese accounted for 61.9
  per cent of the number the Malays and Indians
  16.05 and 13.5 per cent respectively and others,
  including the Europeans, 8.5 per cent
• The peace and prosperity ended when Japanese
  aircraft bombed Singapore the early hours of 8th
  December 1941. Singapore fell to the Japanese on
  15th February 1942, and was renamed Syonan (Light
  of the South). It remained under Japanese
  occupation for three and a half years

Source Asian Network Information Center
12
History of Singapore Post War Time

• The British forces returned in September 1945 and
  Singapore came under the British Military
  Administration
• When the Communist Party of Malaya tried to take
  over Malaya and Singapore by force, a state of
  emergency was declared in June 1948
• The emergency lasted for 12 years. Towards the
  end of 1953, the British government appointed a
  commission under Sir George Rendel to review
  Singapore's constitutional position and make
  recommendations for change

Source Asian Network Information Center
13
History of Singapore Post War Time

• On 27 May 1961, the Malayan Prime Minister, Tunku
  Abdul Rahman, proposed closer political and
  economic co-operation between the Federation of
  Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, North Borneo and
  Brunei in the form of a merger
• The main terms of the merger, agreed on by him
  and Lee Kuan Yew, were to have central government
  responsibility for defence, foreign affairs and
  internal security
• A referendum on the terms of the merger held in
  Singapore on 1 September 1962 showed the people's
  overwhelming support for the plan to go ahead
  with the merger
• Malaysia was formed on 16 September 1963, and
  consisted of the Federation of Malaya, Singapore,
  Sarawak and North Borneo

Source Asian Network Information Center
14
History of Singapore Independence

• Singapore was separated from the rest of Malaysia
  on 9 August 1965, and became a sovereign,
  democratic and independent nation
• Independent Singapore was admitted to the United
  Nations on 21 September 1965, and became a member
  of the Common wealth of Nations on 15 October
  1965
• Singapore's strategy for survival and development
  was essentially to take advantage of its
  strategic location and the favourable world
  economy

Source Asian Network Information Center
15
Modern History of Singapore

• With the British Government's sudden decision in
  1967 to withdraw its armed forces from Singapore
  by the end of 1971, Singapore set out to build up
  its own defence forces
• The Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute was
  established in 1966 and compulsory national
  service was introduced
• In August 1967, Singapore joined Indonesia,
  Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand to form
  the Association of Southeast Asian Nations

Source Asian Network Information Center
16
Modern History of Singapore

• Singapore entered the 1970s as a politically
  stable state with a high rate of economic growth
• The one-party Parliament that emerged from the
  1968 general election became the pattern, with
  the PAP winning all seats in 1972, 1976 and 1980
• On 28 November 1990, a new chapter opened in
  Singapore's modern history Goh Chok Tong became
  the second Prime Minster of Singapore when he
  took over the office from Lee Kuan Yew who
  resigned after having been Prime Minster since
  1959

Source Asian Network Information Center
17
Modern Singapore

• Population 4,608,595
• Ethnic Groups Chinese 76.7, Malay 14, Indian
  7.9,
• other 1.4
• Religions Buddhist (Chinese), Muslim (Malays),
  Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Taoist, Confucianism
• GDP real growth 2.2
• Purchasing Power Parity USD 24,000

18
Modern Singapore Constitution

• Parliamentary republic
• Constitution based on English common law, has not
  accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdictions
• Chief of State President Sellapan Rama NATHAN
  (since 1 September 1999) Head of Government
  Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 28 November
  1990)
• Cabinet Cabinet appointed by the president,
  responsible to Parliament Elections President
  elected by popular vote for a six-year term

19
Modern Singapore Economic Overview

• Singapore is a highly developed and successful
  free market economy
• Enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free
  environment, stable prices, and one of the
  highest per capita GDPs in the world
• The economy depends heavily on exports,
  particularly in electronics and manufacturing
• It was hard hit in 2001-2002 by the global
  recession and the slump in the technology sector
• The government hopes to establish a new growth
  path that will be less vulnerable to the external
  business cycle than the current export-led model,
  however, unlikely to abandon efforts to establish
  Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and
  high-tech hub

20
Modern Singapore
Corruption Perceptions Index 2003
Corruption Perceptions Index 2003 relates to
perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen
by business people, academics and risk analysts,
and ranges between 10 (highly clean) and 0
(highly corrupt).
Source Globalcorruption Report 2004
21
Modern Singapore at a Glance
Source World Bank, 2003
22
Modern Singapore at a Glance
Source World Bank, 2003
23
Modern Singapore at a Glance
Source World Bank, 2003
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Modern Singapore at a Glance
Source World Bank, 2003
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Society and Economy of Modern Singapore

• Today
• Future?

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Readings

• PM Gohs vision Nation free of racial tribes.
  South China Morning Post, May 6, 1999