The Republic Of Singapore.

While the initial sparks of Singaporean nationalism may have stemmed from being under the British colonial rule or arose due to the brutality that the people were put through during the Japanese Occupation between 1942 to 1945, it is difficult to ascertain exactly when the start of Singapore’s nation building efforts began. Characterized by the process where a large body of people associated with a territory commits to its own government, I would define the start of Singapore’s nation building process from the time its people started to strive for their independence. In this essay, I would argue about how the Japanese Occupation was indeed, a significant turning point that led to cultivation of Singapore as a nation.

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

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.

Once a small fishing village with almost no natural resources, Singapore has flourished into a point of pride for the world. As Nicolas Berggruen, a famous French investor and philanthropist said, “Singapore was created out of the swamp, with a strong emotional idea: a safe place mostly for Chinese, but accepting other cultures and other races.” Singapore had been at a disadvantage for most of its early age, until the achievement of its first world status towards the end of the 20th century. Much of this success can be attributed to the first prime minister of Singapore, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. Malcolm Gladwell in David and

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

There were two major happenings that temporarily effected Singapore’s economy between 2001 and 2003—the worldwide electronics slump and the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Both times, growth bounced back, by world demand for electronics, pharmaceuticals, other manufactured goods, and financial services. The return was mostly contributed to by the economies of its major trading partners—the United States, the European Union, Japan, and China, as well as expanding emerging markets such as India (Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 2010). The next

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

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)

Religion: Singapore is a multi-religious country. According to Statistics Singapore, around 51% of resident Singaporeans (not including significant numbers of visitors and migrant workers) practice Buddhism and Taoism. About 15%, mostly Chinese and Indians, practice Christianity - a broad classification including Catholicism, Protestantism and other denominations. Muslims constitute 14%, of whom Malays account for the majority with a substantial number of Indian Muslims. Smaller minorities practice Sikhism, Hinduism and others, according to the 2000 census. About 15% of the population declared no specific religious affiliation.

A lot of international trade is going on in Singapore due to its strategic location, highly developed port facilities and its free trade policies that involve very few trade barriers. Singapore has virtually no natural resources; therefore the country is highly dependent on import. Their primary source of import is Malaysia, followed by China, the United States and South Korea. Total value of import amounts to $373,016 million according to WTO data 2013. Top products imported by Singapore mainly include raw materials (such as iron and steel), machinery and equipment, and consumer goods, fuels, mining products and foodstuff. Key export partners are Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and Indonesia. The value of exports amounts to $410,249 million (WTO data, 2013) and consists of commodities such as capital goods, machinery and equipment, consumer goods and fuels. However, a big part of Singapore’s export consists of re-exports of

The British turned Singapore into a major commercial center because of its location on the narrow passage between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea (Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia). The British port at Singapore became an important center for trade with the Chinese. The use of a free trade port in Singapore attracted many diverse immigrants, especially those attempting to escape war. Between 1880 and 1940 colonial Singapore attracted tens of thousands of Chinese immigrant laborers, brought to serve its rapidly growing economy. This caused an immense increase in the population and more tension in the country. Every group within Singapore wanted to be able to trade within the flourishing port. Each immigrant

This will boost the economy of Singapore as when more companies are willing to invest in Singapore, especially due to our strengths like competitive workforce and strategic location, it will result in greater influx of capital. It will also result in a creation of jobs for the people, boosting employment rate and generating revenue for both the country and the individual. Take for instance, the chip used in the latest PlayStation3 and Xbox. A French semiconductor company, Soitec, is investing $700 million to set up in Singapore its first offshore facility to make the wafer for this chip. The wafers involve alternating layers of silicon and insulator, unlike conventional wafers which use silicon throughout. Soitec is coming here because its technology has to be well-protected, and we are the only country in Asia that they trust well enough to set up their first manufacturing campus outside of France. Thus, positive development is a sure thing with globalization. Furthermore, since in the modern day context, money is a key indicator of happiness, thus, Singapore’s development can be mirrored by the happiness of the people with their monetary needs fulfilled.

Singapore has a capitalised mixed economy. Having strong international trade links, Singapore possesses one of the most open economies for international trade and investment. Singapore offers foreign investors a pro-business environment, excellent infrastructure, highly-skilled and cosmopolitan labour force, and a robust legal/judicial system. These competitive factors have set Singapore apart from other locations, winning several accolades including: §

The Singapore economy had proved its resilience during the worst post-war recession and experience exceptionally high economic growth during the 42 years since its independence. For the period 1966-1973, the economy expanded consistently at a double-digit growth rate in real terms (Kum Poh, 1982, p.1). Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at constant prices continues to rise at an annual rate of 8 percent till 2005. With population growth at 2.1 percent, per capita GDP increased by 5.8 percent on average each year (Gesquiere, 2007, p. 12).