The Government´s Role in the Success of Singapore Essay

Singapore was also a gateway to other countries in South-East Asia such as New Guinea, Indonesia, Dutch-East Indies (Indonesia) and Philippines as seen in Figure 1. After this, it was the first time in Australia’s history is was the first time they were under threat from any country “Yellow

On the 9th of February 1942, three divisions of Japanese soldiers landed in Singapore, which was at the time a major British military base and presence in the Pacific. Six days later, over 90 000 British, Australian and Indian troops were forced to surrender. It had been believed that Singapore guaranteed the security of Australia during the war, consequently, the fall of Singapore opened Australia to invasion. The fall of Singapore was significant in causing relations between Australia and the United States to increase as in lieu of Britain’s inability to provide economic and military assistance when it was required most, the United States’ capability to provide what Britain could not was instrumental in strengthening bonds.

The differences between Singapore and Malaya resulted in the failure of their merger. Firstly, Malaya wanted Singapore to follow their communal political system which is contrasted with Singapore's multiracial system. Secondly, the political rivalry between the Alliance Party and People's Action Party (PAP) caused tension and mistrust between the parties. This can be seen from the 1963 Singapore Elections, 1964 Federal Elections and the Malaysian Solidarity Convention. Lastly, Singapore was also seen as an economic rival and Malayan government did not set up a common market for them. These political and economic differences resulted in disagreements that caused the separation of Singapore from Malaysia. As a newly independent state, Singapore faced many formidable challenges. With the lack of natural resources, capital formation and proper development of its economic system, Singapore was placed in a predicament where Singapore had no choice but to fortify its nation building efforts. The separation was deemed as the event that led to the “[kindling of] the first feelings of Singapore nationalism”, spearheading the process of Singapore's nation building efforts. Henceforth, this shows how the separation and independence of Singapore could be a more relevant factor as compared to the Japanese Occupation, that led to the making of its

Singapore is located at the centre of a crucial sea route in the far east. The sea route is controlled by the Japanese and attempting to prevent from the British claiming the control of the route.

Singapore is the nation of islands which is situated on the South of Malay Peninsula. Its area is only 704,0 square kilometers, and it is the smallest country in Southeast Asia. Its anthem is Majulah Singapura

Economics growth is, it the short run an increase in real GDP and in the long run an increase in the productive capacity of an economy (the maximum output that the economy can produce). GDP stands for Gross Domestic Product which is the country’s production of goods and services valued at market price in a given time period. Real GDP is when these figures are corrected for inflation using a base year (The UK uses 2003 as its base year). It can be measured in three different ways; the output measure is the value of the goods and services produced by all sectors of the economy; agriculture, manufacturing, energy, construction, the service sector and government. The

Singapore soon became a major stopping point for traffic going to or from China” (world history book). Other kingdoms continued to evolve in Southeast Asia such as the kingdom of Burma, Thailand, and the Philippines. The Philippines has more than seven thousand islands that contain a wide diversity of landscape. Singapore was a developed city-state. “Malaysia was a prosperous nation on the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on the mainland of Southeast Asia” (Marshall Cavendish 1156).

It is also easy for many other companies to set up headquarter in Singapore as their starting point in Asia to make it possible to reach to its market point. In addition, Singapore is unique in different lifestyles and culture. It is also known for its capability of attracting sizable foreign investment, pro-business environment and entrepreneurs. Singapore focuses more on a knowledge based economy which can be seen in its education sysem. Furthermore, Singapore is located in the heart of Asia and it plays an important role in international

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 has a highly developed market which has historically revolved around extensive exports trade, in other words an export driven economy hugely dependant on export of goods to other countries.

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)

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

International manager Mathew Barlow is quoted in reference to expansion of operation to Singapore that, "Singapore is a great export location for us at the moment

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).