Singapore : An Asian Tiger With A Booming Economy

Singapore and Malaysia were both similarly colonized by the British. However, their development after independence differed in many ways. In this paper, I will examine, with help from resources provided in the course and minimal research, how their colonial experiences affected their political and social development after independence. After which, investigating the depth of influence their colonizers had, and why, differing racial ideologies had the greatest impact on their development.

Since Singapore’s establishment in 1965, the government of Singapore had adopted a genre of paternalistic leadership in many areas (Lee, 2008). Personally, I have so far taken the view that it was the most fundamental thing for this tiny oriental country.

groups actually got along better than we do in America.” This way of coexisting shows the respect they have for one another even while following their history and traditions. America is considered to be one of the best countries for equality and yet Singapore seems to coexist much better working with each other to help make the country

My research will be based on Political, Economic, and Social Organization of Singapore—an industrialist city-state.  Even though Singapore 's history dates from the 11th century, the island was little known to the West until the 19th century. Singapore is one of the World 's largest ports, because the city of Singapore has become a major port, with trade exceeding that of Malaya 's, Malacca and Penang combined. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the advent of steamships launched an era of prosperity for Singapore as transit trade expanded throughout Southeast Asia (Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 2010). Singapore is a very

Singapore, unlike most other states and nations, has achieved independence twice: once in 1959 when it was decolonised by the British;1 then again after it was expelled from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965, into which Singapore had integrated in 1963. 2 In contrast to many other independence movements, Singapore’s were not violent; political decisions led to the island nation’s independence in both instances. Nationalism and

With foreign manufacturing industry entering Singapore market the manufacturing sector and its share in GDP grew from 16.6% in 1965 to nearly 30 % in 1980 and in 1993 manufacturing contributed to about 28 % of the total GDP and accounted for nearly 28% of employment. Singapore’s GDP raise to 13 times between 1960 and 1999. The nation has shown greatly decrease of figure of poverty. (United Nations 2000)

Dual citizenship for Singapore could also mean that more and more foreigners will take up residency in Singapore, and it could salvage the ageing population

SIA’s main strength lies in the position of Singapore as an important location of the world. Singapore, which is a very small island-country, has become one of the biggest economic success stories of the last 25 years. Like most South-East Asian economies, Singapore’s success lies in the robust trading links that the country has built in the worldwide economy. Since 1965, after gaining independence from the British, it had to sell its services world-wide to be

However, the development of Singapore’s society cannot be predicated on pure economics alone. Even though globalization has enabled Singapore to fare well in economic development, however, termed the perils of success, globalization has brought about undesirable

Singapore is an island that lies just off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. Its strategic location on major sea lanes has provided the country with an economic importance in Southeast Asia. Singapore is often considered as a base for global enterprises looking to expand into Asia and Asian enterprises looking for global connectivity. Located at the heart of Asia, Singapore is sitting at the centre of business opportunities. Having the four key attributes - Trust, Knowledge, Connected and Life, Singapore is being positioned as an ideal city to Work, Live and Play. Singapore was ranked first in Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey 2009.

The Republic of Singapore celebrated its 42 years of independence in year 2007. Situated at the southern tip of Malaysia, Singapore currently holds a population of 4.68 million as of June 2007. At 704.0km2, it is ranked 4th in the world for its population density. During the past four decades, the economy as measured by real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), multiplied by over 20 times (Ghesquiere, 2007, p.11). As a small and extremely open economy, Singapore long term survival is very much dependent on the ability to maintain its viable position and remain afloat in the sea of global competition (Mun Heng et al, 1998, p.14).

‘‘Whereas it is the inalienable right of a people to be free and independent. I, Lee Kuan Yew, prime minister of Singapore, do hereby proclaim and declare on behalf of the people and the government of Singapore that as from today, the ninth day of August in the year one thousand sixty – five, Singapore shall be forever a sovereign, democratic and independent nation, founded upon the principles of liberty and justice and ever seeking the welfare and happiness of her people in more just and equal society.’’ (Josey, 2012, p.284).

Two of the worlds leading economic countries accounted for more than three fourths of Singapore 's trade in services, while other smaller countries accounted for the remaining one fourth. Due to these foreign investments into the economy, Singapore was able to prosper. The Aegean Islands was the highest percentage of Singapore 's South Eastern Asian trade. As predicted by Stamford Raffles, Singapore succeeded in trade with the Aegean Islands, which made up 74% of Singapore 's overall trade in 1825. Towards the early 19th century, the Singapore economy began to benefit from one of the world leading powers. By the early 1930 's, Singapore had become the principal distributor of Japanese goods in Malaya, Thailand and Dutch East Indies. Elsewhere the increasing financial bond between Singapore and Japan is evident through their early trade and distribution. From the early entrepot trade economy of the British, a trading port where products could be imported, stored and trade, Singapore has continued to restructure itself and diversify with the inclusion of other foreign powers. Singapore’s wide range of foreign powers is what has allowed it to grow financially over seas. With the aid and investment of some of the most economically successful countries in the world, Singapore was able to grow. Singapore 's major trading partners were commercial services that would open possibilities for the future enterprises of Singapore.

Lee Kuan Yew’s idea to change the aristocratic models of government and the social structure of Singapore also contributed to the country’s success. He decided that they could not maintain the social structure where people lives were defined by their social class, or their nationality from birth. The government then had to grant the same rights to all citizens, regardless of race, wealth, class or gender. “It could not rely on feudal or aristocratic models of government. Nor could it maintain the social

There are two polarising opinions on the issue of Malay marginality, and it is essential to delve into their political motivations in order to determine which is more reliable. On the Singapore government’s part, most of their comments were made in reference to accusations by other organisations such as the AMP, likely in self-defence and in an attempt to draw the blame away from themselves. As such, the government’s claims of the Malays are not marginalised needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. On the other hand, Dr Mahathir’s accusation of Singapore deliberately marginalising the Malays also cannot be taken too seriously, as it was in retaliation to Lee Kuan Yew’s antagonistic comments. There may be some element of truth in saying that the Malays are marginalised, but it remains to be seen if it was