Chinese constituted 75.9 per cent of the population, Malays 15.2 per cent, the Indians 6.5 per cent and persons of other ethnic groups the remaining 2.4 per cent. Malay is the national language and English the language of business administration. Most of the Chinese community adhere to these religions. The Muslims, predominately Malay, comprised an estimated 16 per cent of the population, and the Hindus, mainly Indians, nearly 5 per cent. There are also small communities of Zoroastrians, Jains and Jews.
Freedom of worship is guaranteed by the Constitution.
The President is the Head of State and is elected by Parliament every four years. The administration of the government is vested in the Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister. The Cabinet is responsible to Parliament. The GRCs were formed by a 1988 amendment to the Constitution to ensure continued representation in Parliament from the minority races of Singapore. Since independence, Singapore has remained politically stable.