History Project :D History Project :D History project :D Following the war, the British government allowed Singapore to hold its first general election, in 1955, which was won by a pro-independence candidate, David Marshall. Demanding complete self-rule, then Chief Minister David Marshall led a delegation to London, but was refused by the British. He resigned upon return, and was replaced by Lim Yew Hock, whose policies then convinced the British. Singapore was granted full internal self-government with its own prime minister and Cabinet overseeing all matters of government except defence and foreign affairs. Elections were then held on 30 May 1959 with the People's Action Party winning a landslide victory. Singapore eventually became a self-governing state within the British Empire on 3 June 1959 and Lee Kuan Yew was sworn in as the first prime minister of Singapore two days later.[31] Then Governor of Singapore, Sir William Allmond Codrington Goode, served as the first Yang di-Pertuan Negara from 3 June 1959 until 3 December 1959. He was succeeded by Yusof bin Ishak, who would later become the first President of Singapore.

It declared independence from Britain unilaterally in August 1963, before joining the Federation of Malaysia in September along with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak as the result of the 1962 Merger Referendum of Singapore. Singapore left the federation two years after heated ideological conflict between the state's PAP government and the federal Kuala Lumpur government. Singapore officially gained sovereignty on 9 August 1965.[4] Yusof bin Ishak was sworn in as the first President of Singapore and Lee Kuan Yew became the first prime minister of the Republic of Singapore. While trying to be self-sufficient, the fledging nation faced problems like mass unemployment, housing shortages, and a dearth of land and natural resources.

During Lee Kuan Yew's term as prime minister from 1959 to 1990, his administration tackled the problem of widespread unemployment, raised the standard of living, and implemented a large-scale public housing programme.[32] It was during this time that the foundation of the country's economic infrastructure was developed; the threat of racial tension was curbed; and an independent national defence system centering around compulsory male military service was created.[33] In 1990, Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee as Prime Minister. During his tenure, the country faced the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the 2003 SARS outbreak, and terrorist threats posed by Jemaah Islamiyah after the September 11 attacks in the United States. In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the third prime minister.[34] Amongst his more notable decisions is the plan to open casinos to attract tourism.[35] ingapore is a multi-religious country. According to Statistics Singapore, around 51% of resident Singaporeans (excluding significant numbers of visitors and migrant workers) practice Buddhism and Taoism.

About 15%, mostly Chinese, Eurasians, 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 and Chinese Muslims. Smaller minorities practice Sikhism, Hinduism and others, according to the 2000 census.[84] Some religious materials and practices are banned in Singapore. The Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, are prohibited from distributing religious materials[85] and are sometimes jailed for their conscientious refusals to serve in the Singaporean military.[86] About 15% of the population declared no religious affiliation. The official languages are English, Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil.[17] The national language of Singapore is Malay for historical reasons,[17] and it is used in the national anthem, "Majulah Singapura".[94] English is the main language of Singapore and has been heavily promoted as such since the country's independence. The English used is primarily based on British English, with some American English influences.

The use of English became widespread in Singapore after it was implemented as a first language medium in the education system, and English is the most common language in Singaporean literature. In school, children are required to learn English and one of the three other official languages. By law, all signs and official publications are required to be primarily in English, although they are occasionally translated versions into the other official languages. However, most Singaporeans speak a localised hybrid form of English known as Singlish ("Singapore English"), which has many creole-like characteristics, incorporating vocabulary and grammar from Standard English, various Chinese dialects, Malay, and Indian languages. The second most common language in Singapore is Mandarin, with over seventy percent of the population having it as a second language. Most Singapore Chinese are, however, descended from immigrants who came from the southern regions of China where other dialects were spoken, such as Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese. Mandarin use has spread largely as a result of government efforts to support its adoption and use over the dialects.

Posted by Travel Website Travel Website August 7, 2011 Singapore -Bryan Chua Singapore, A small island near the country of Malaysia is known to be one of the most busiest streets in Asia. By traveling through the pages of this site, we hope to give proper review and recommendation to the to the country's most popular tourist destinations. Brief History of Singapore (by guidemesingapore.com) If you are new to Singapore, you’re probably wondering how this small city-state in Southeast Asia with a total land area measuring only 273 square miles (707.1 square kilometers) and one of the youngest nations in the world became one of its most successful. The answer lies in a unique set of geography and history - Singapore’s strategic location on the major sea route between India and China, its excellent harbor, and its free-trade harbor status granted by its visionary founder Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. However, while Sir Stamford Raffles created the framework for Singapore’s early success, it was Singapore’s former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew who shaped the first quarter-century of Singapore’s existence as an independent nation and defined the path to its current success.

What follows is a brief history of the country’s origins from a colonial outpost to the developed nation that it is today. MYTHICAL ORIGINS Recent studies have verified that lions have never lived on Singapore but legend has it that a 14th century Sumatran prince spotted an auspicious beast (probably a Malayan tiger) upon landing on the island after a thunderstorm. Thus, the name Singapore comes from the Malay words “Singa” for lion and “Pura” for city. Prior to European settlement, the island now known as Singapore was the site of a Malay fishing village and inhabited by several hundred indigenous Orang Laut people. THE FOUNDING OF MODERN SINGAPORE In late 1818, Lord Hastings – the British Governor General of India – appointed Lieutenant General Sir Stamford Raffles to establish a trading station at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula. The British were extending their dominion over India and their trade with China was expanding. They saw the need for a port of call to “refit, revitalize and protect their merchant fleet” as well as to prevent any advances made by the Dutch in the East Indies.

After surveying other nearby islands in 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles and the rest of the British East India Company landed on Singapore, which was to become their strategic trading post along the spice route. Eventually Singapore became one of the most important commercial and military centers of the British Empire. The island was the third British acquisition in the Malay Peninsula after Penang (1786) and Malacca (1795). These three British Settlements (Singapore, Penang and Malacca) became the Straights Settlements in 1826, under the control of British India. By 1832, Singapore became the center of government of the three areas. On 1 April 1867, the Straights Settlements became a Crown Colony and was ruled by a governor under the jurisdiction of the Colonial Office in London. LOOSENING BRITAIN’S STRONGHOLD During World War II, Singapore was occupied by the Japanese. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill described this “as the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history”. In the aftermath of the war, the country faced staggering problems of high unemployment, slow economic growth, inadequate housing, decaying infrastructure, labor strikes and social unrest.

Nevertheless, it sparked a political awakening among the local population and saw the rise of anti-colonial and nationalist sentiments, as epitomized by the slogan “Merdeka” which means “independence” in the Malay language. In 1959, Singapore became a self-governing state within the British Empire with Yusof Bin Ishak as its firstYang de-Pertuan Negara (Malay for “Someone who is the eminent Master of the State”) and Lee Kuan Yew as its first and long-standing Prime Minister (he served until 1990). Before joining the Federation of Malaysia along with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak, Singapore declared independence from Britain unilaterally in August 1963. Two years later, Singapore left the federation after heated ideological conflicts arose between the Singapore government’s major political party called the People’s Action Party (PAP) and the federal Kuala Lumpur goverment. On 9 August 1965, Singapore officially gained sovereignty. Yusof Bin Ishak sworn in as its first president and Lee Kuan Yew remained prime minister. With independence came bleak, if not precarious economic prospects.

According to Barbara Leitch Lepoer, the editor of Singapore: A Country Study (1989): “Separation from Malaysia meant the loss of Singapore’s economic hinterland, and Indonesia’s policy of military confrontation directed at Singapore and Malaysia had dried up the entrepot from that direction.” According to the same book, Singapore also faced the loss of 20 percent of its jobs with the announcement of Britain’s departure from the island’s bases in 1968. ROAD TO SUCCESS Instead of demoralizing Singapore, these problems motivated Singapore’s leadership to focus on the nation’s economy. With Cambridge-educated lawyer Lee Kuan Yew at its helm, the Singaporean government was aggressive in promoting export-oriented, labor-extensive industrialization through a program of incentives to attract foreign investment. After all, Singapore still had its strategic location to its advantage. By 1972, one-quarter of Singapore’s manufacturing firms were either foreign-owned or joint-venture companies, and both USA and Japan were major investors.

As a result of Singapore’s steady political climate, favorable investment conditions and the rapid expansion of the world economy from 1965 to 1973, the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) experienced annual double-digit growth. With the economic boom of the late 1960s and 1970s, new jobs were created in the private sector. The government provision of subsidized housing, education, health services and public transportation generated new jobs in the public sector. The Central Provident Fund, the country’s comprehensive social security scheme sustained by compulsory contributions by employer and employee, provided the necessary capital for government projects and financial security for the country’s workers in their old age. By the late 1970s, the government changed its strategic focus to skill and technology-intensive, high value-added industries and away from labor-intensive manufacturing. In particular, information technology was given priority for expansion and Singapore became the world’s largest producer of disk drives and disk drive parts in 1989. In the same year, 30 percent of the country’s GDP was due to earnings from manufacturing.

Singapore’s international and financial services sector was and still is one of the fastest growing sectors of its economy accounting for nearly 25 percent of the country’s GDP in the late 1980s. In the same year, Singapore ranked with Hong Kong as the two most important Asian financial centers after Tokyo. By 1990, Singapore played host to more than 650 multinational companies and several thousand financial institutions and trading firms. On the political front, Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee Kuan Yew and in 2004 Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became Singapore’s third prime minister. Arad Tour & Travel SDN.BHD.(KPL/LN 5499) -::- آژانس مسافرتی آراد History of Singapore First settlement (Pre-1819) The first records of settlement in Singapore are from the 2nd century AD. The island was an outpost of the Sumatran Srivijaya empire and originally had the Javanese name Temasek ('sea town').

Temasek (Tumasek) rapidly became a significant trading settlement, but declined in the late 14th century. There are few remnants of old Temasek in Singapore, but archaeologists in Singapore have uncovered artifacts of that and other settlements. Between the 16th and early 19th centuries, Singapore island was part of the Sultanate of Johor. During the Malay-Portugal wars in 1613, the settlement was set ablaze by Portuguese troops. The Portuguese subsequently held control in that century and the Dutch in the 18th, but throughout most of this time the island's population consisted mainly of fishermen. British colonial rule (1819-1940) On 29 January 1819, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles landed on the main island. Spotting its potential as a strategic geographical trading post in Southeast Asia, Raffles signed a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah on behalf of the British East India Company on 6 February 1819 to develop the southern part of Singapore as a British trading post and settlement. Until August 1824, Singapore was still a territory controlled by a Malay Sultan.

Singapore officially became a British colony only in August 1824 when the British extended control over the whole island. John Crawfurd, the second resident of Singapore, was the one who officially made Singapore a British possession. He signed a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah on 2 August 1824 in which the Sultan and the Temmenggong handed over the whole island to the British East India Company, thus marking the start of the island's modern era. Raffles' deputy, William Farquhar, oversaw a period of growth and ethnic migration, which was largely spurred by a no-restriction immigration policy. The British India office governed the island from 1858, but Singapore was made a British crown colony in 1867, answerable directly to the Crown. By 1869, 100,000 people lived on the island. The early onset of town planning in colonial Singapore came largely through a "divide and rule" framework where the different ethnic groups were settled in different parts of the South of the island.

The Singapore River was largely a commercial area dominated by traders and bankers of various ethnic groups with mostly Chinese and Indian coolies working to load and unload goods from barge boats known locally as "bumboats". The Malays, consisting of the local "Orang Lauts" who worked mostly as fishermen and seafarers, and Arab traders and scholars were mostly found in the Southeast part of the river mouth, where Kampong Glam stands today. The European settlers, who were few then, settled around Fort Canning Hill and farther upstream from the Singapore River. Like the Europeans, the early Indian migrants also settled more inland of the Singapore River, where Little India stands today. Very little is known about the rural private settlements in those times (known as kampongs), other than the major move by the post-independent Singapore government to re-settle these residents in the late 1960s. World War II (1941-1945) During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Malaya, culminating in the Battle of Singapore. The British were defeated in six days, and surrendered the supposedly impregnable fortress to General Tomoyuki Yamashita on 15 February 1942.

The surrender was described by the British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, as, "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history.The British naval base (see above) was destroyed before the Japanese could take over the base and make use of it. Widespread indiscriminate killing of the Chinese population occurred (see Sook Ching massacre).The Japanese renamed Singapore Shōnantō (昭南島?), from Japanese "Shōwa no jidai ni eta minami no shima" ("昭和の時代に得た南の島"?), or "southern island obtained in the age of Shōwa", and occupied it until the British repossessed the island on 12 September 1945, a month after the Japanese surrender. The name Shōnantō was, at the time, romanised as "Syonan-to" or "Syonan", which means "Light of the South". Independence (1946-Present) Following the war, the British government allowed Singapore to hold its first general election, in 1955, which was won by a pro-independence candidate, David Marshall, who thus became Chief Minister.

Demanding complete self-rule, Marshall led a delegation to London, but was refused by the British. He resigned upon return, and was replaced by Lim Yew Hock, whose policies then convinced the British. Singapore was granted full internal self-government with its own prime minister and Cabinet overseeing all matters of government except defence and foreign affairs. Elections were then held on 30 May 1959 with the People's Action Party winning a landslide victory. Singapore eventually became a self-governing state within the British Empire on 3 June 1959 and Lee Kuan Yew was sworn in as the first prime minister of Singapore two days later. Then Governor of Singapore, Sir William Allmond Codrington Goode, served as the first Yang di-Pertuan Negara from 3 June 1959 until 3 December 1959. He was succeeded by Yusof bin Ishak, who would later become the first President of Singapore. Singapore declared independence from Britain unilaterally in August 1963, before joining the Federation of Malaysia in September along with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak as the result of the 1962 Merger Referendum of Singapore.

Singapore left the federation two years after heated ideological conflict between the state's PAP government and the federal government in Kuala Lumpur. Singapore officially gained sovereignty on 9 August 1965.Yusof bin Ishak was sworn in as President, and Lee Kuan Yew became the first prime minister of the Republic of Singapore. While trying to be self-sufficient, the fledging nation faced problems like mass unemployment, housing shortages, and a dearth of land and natural resources. During Lee Kuan Yew's term as prime minister from 1959 to 1990, his administration tackled the problem of widespread unemployment, raised the standard of living, and implemented a large-scale public housing programme. It was during this time that the foundation of the country's economic infrastructure was developed; the threat of racial tension was curbed; and an independent national defence system centering around compulsory male military service was created. In 1990, Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee as Prime Minister. During his tenure, the country faced the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the 2003 SARS outbreak, and terrorist threats posed by Jemaah Islamiyah after the September 11 attacks in the United States.

In 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the third prime minister. Amongst his more notable decisions is the plan to open casinos to attract tourism. Amazing Things Of Amazing World Amazing Things Of Amazing World This blog will tell about all unique, amazing and weirdest things present on our planet and outside the planet. It includes facts that make you surprise. Thursday, November 3, 2016 The Nazca Lines: A Mystery on the Plains In the Peruvian Desert, about 200 miles south of Lima, there lies a plain between the Inca and Nazca (sometimes also spelled Nasca) Valleys. Across this plain, in an area measuring 37 miles long and 1-mile wide, is an assortment of perfectly-straight lines, many running parallel, others intersecting, forming a grand geometric form. In and around the lines there are also trapezoidal zones, strange symbols, and pictures of birds and beasts all etched on a giant scale that can only be appreciated from the sky. The figures come in two types: biomorphs and geoglyphs.

The biomorphs are some 70 animal and plant figures that include a spider, hummingbird, monkey and a 1,000-foot-long pelican. The biomorphs are grouped together in one area on the plain. Some archaeologists believe they were constructed around 200 BC, about 500 years before the geoglyphs. There are about 900 geoglyphs on the plain. Geoglyphs are geometric forms that include straight lines, triangles, spirals, circles and trapezoids. They are enormous in size. The longest straight line goes nine miles across the plain. Discovery and Meaning Though discovered by Peruvian archaeologist Toribio Mejia Xesspe who spotted them while hiking through the surrounding foothills in 1927, the forms are so difficult to see from the ground that they were not widely known until the 1930's when aircraft spotted them while surveying for water. The plain, crisscrossed, by these giant lines with many forming rectangles, has a striking resemblance to a modern airport. The Swiss writer, Erich von Daniken, even suggested they had been built for the convenience of ancient visitors from space to land their ships.

As tempting as it might be to subscribe to this theory, the desert floor at Nazca is soft earth and loose stone, not tarmac, and would not support the landing wheels of either an aircraft or a flying saucer. So why are the lines there? The American explorer Paul Kosok, who made his first visit to Nazca in the 1940s, suggested that the lines were astronomically significant and that the plain acted as a giant observatory. He called them "the largest astronomy book in the world." Gerald Hawkins, an American astronomer, tested this theory in 1968 by feeding the position of a sample of lines into a computer and having a program calculate how many lines coincided with an important astronomical event. Hawkins showed the number of lines that were astronomically significant were only about the same number that would be the result of pure chance. This makes it seem unlikely Nazca is an observatory. Perhaps the best theory for the lines and symbols belongs to Tony Morrison, the English explorer. By researching the old folk ways of the people of the Andes mountains, Morrison discovered a tradition of wayside shrines linked by straight pathways. The faithful would move from shrine to shrine praying and meditating.

Often the shrine was as simple as a small pile of stones. Morrison suggests that the lines at Nazca were similar in purpose and on a vast scale. The symbols may have also served as special enclosures for religious ceremonies. Construction of the Lines How were they built? The lines were apparently made by brushing away the reddish, iron oxide covered pebbles that compose the desert surface and uncovering the white colored sand underneath. In most places wind, rain and erosion would quickly remove all traces of this within a few years. At Nazca, though, the lines have been preserved because it is such a windless, dry and isolated location. A writer by the name of Jim Woodman believes that the lines and figures could not have been made without somebody in the air to direct the operations. "You simply can't see anything from ground level," states Woodman. "You can't appreciate any of it from anywhere except from above. You can't tell me the Nazca builders would have gone to the monumental efforts they did without ever being able to see it." Woodman has proposed that ancient hot-air balloons were used to get an aerial view of the construction.

To prove his hypothesis, Woodman constructed a balloon using materials that would have been available to the Nazca people. He was able to conduct a successful flight, though it only lasted two minutes. It is more likely that the Nazca people used simple surveying techniques in their work. Straight lines can be made easily for great distances with simple tools. Two wooden stakes placed as a straight line would be used to guide the placement of a third stake along the line. One person would sight along the first two stakes and instruct a second person in the placement of the new stake. This could be repeated as many times as needed to make an almost perfectly-straight line miles in length. Evidence that the line makers used this technique exists in the form of the remains of a few stakes found at the ends of some of the lines. Posted by Tanot Mata, Rajsthan - A Mysterious Temple Tannot Mata is a temple in western State of Rajasthan in District Jaisalmer of India . As per the oldest Charan literature Tannot Mata is new clone of divine goddess Hinglaj Mata, and than after Tannot Mata becomes Karni Mata, And known as Goddess Of Charan's.

Tannot Basically The village is close to the border with Pakistan , and is very close to the battle site of Longewala of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, indeed some credit the temple for the outcome of the battle. Tourists cannot go beyond this temple to see the Indo–Pak Border unless one gets the relevant documentation in advance from the District and Military Authorities. It is now a tourist destination in India. It is said that during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Pakistani Army dropped over 3000 bombs targeting the temple but not even one exploded! The Pakistani Tank regiment was stupefied and kept shelling but not one bomb exploded. After the war the Pakistani General actually asked his counterpart in India about this incident and on knowing the story of the power of the temple that apparently protected the area he asked to see this place. This request was granted and the Pakistani General actually went to the temple and paid his respects and acknowledged the supernatural happening. After the war the temple management was handed over to Border Security Force of India on their request and to date the temple is maintained and manned by the BSF soldiers.

The temple has a museum which has collections of the unexploded bombs that were shot by pakistani tanks. In 1971 again when Pakistan and India went to war this area was again targeted by the Pakistani Tanks for 4 days but again all the tanks were stuck in the sand and the Indian Air Force picked them out easily by bombing them where they stood as they were unable to move even one inch. Over 200 pakistani tank troops were killed here and the majority actually left their stuk tanks and ran for their lives. This Temple has protected the area that is only 10 km from the border outpost and the faith is such that the army and BSF soldiers still stop at this temple and apply the sand on their foreheads and also to their vehicles which keeps them safe and their journeys fruitful. The legend is since 1965 and was re-affirmed in 1971 and it is a recorded fact that each and every enemy soldier who dared to attack this area was killed. The Population of Tanot Village is 492 Person having 49 Household. [3] The place is close to the Pakistan border, an infertile land, and is prone to enemy attacks.

The governments of both countries have planted land mines in the area. Animals like camel or cattle are the worst sufferer of these devices. Posted by A Brief History of Singapore If you are new to Singapore, you’re probably wondering how this small city-state in Southeast Asia with a total land area measuring only 273 square miles (707.1 square kilometers) and one of the youngest nations in the world became one of its most successful. The answer lies in a unique set of geography and history – Singapore’s strategic location on the major sea route between India and China, its excellent harbor, and its free-trade harbor status granted by its visionary founder Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. However, while Sir Stamford Raffles created the framework for Singapore’s early success, it was Singapore’s former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew who shaped the first quarter-century of Singapore’s existence as an independent nation and defined the path to its current success. What follows is a brief history of the country’s origins from a colonial outpost to the developed nation that it is today.

Mythical Origins Recent studies have verified that lions have never lived on Singapore but legend has it that a 14th century Sumatran prince spotted an auspicious beast (probably a Malayan tiger) upon landing on the island after a thunderstorm. Thus, the name Singapore comes from the Malay words “Singa” for lion and “Pura” for city. Prior to European settlement, the island now known as Singapore was the site of a Malay fishing village and inhabited by several hundred indigenous Orang Laut people. The Founding of Modern Singapore In late 1818, Lord Hastings – the British Governor General of India – appointed Lieutenant General Sir Stamford Raffles to establish a trading station at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula. The British were extending their dominion over India and their trade with China was expanding. They saw the need for a port of call to “refit, revitalize and protect their merchant fleet” as well as to prevent any advances made by the Dutch in the East Indies. After surveying other nearby islands in 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles and the rest of the British East India Company landed on Singapore, which was to become their strategic trading post along the spice route.

Eventually Singapore became one of the most important commercial and military centers of the British Empire. The island was the third British acquisition in the Malay Peninsula after Penang (1786) and Malacca (1795). These three British Settlements (Singapore, Penang and Malacca) became the Straights Settlements in 1826, under the control of British India. By 1832, Singapore became the center of government of the three areas. On 1 April 1867, the Straights Settlements became a Crown Colony and was ruled by a governor under the jurisdiction of the Colonial Office in London. Loosening Britain’s Stronghold During World War II, Singapore was occupied by the Japanese. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill described this “as the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history”. In the aftermath of the war, the country faced staggering problems of high unemployment, slow economic growth, inadequate housing, decaying infrastructure, labor strikes and social unrest. Nevertheless, it sparked a political awakening among the local population and saw the rise of anti-colonial and nationalist sentiments, as epitomized by the slogan “Merdeka” which means “independence” in the Malay language.

In 1959, Singapore became a self-governing state within the British Empire with Yusof Bin Ishak as its first Yang de-Pertuan Negara (Malay for “Someone who is the eminent Master of the State”) and Lee Kuan Yew as its first and long-standing Prime Minister (he served until 1990). Before joining the Federation of Malaysia along with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak, Singapore declared independence from Britain unilaterally in August 1963. Two years later, Singapore left the federation after heated ideological conflicts arose between the Singapore government’s major political party called the People’s Action Party (PAP) and the federal Kuala Lumpur goverment. On 9 August 1965, Singapore officially gained sovereignty. Yusof Bin Ishak sworn in as its first president and Lee Kuan Yew remained prime minister. With independence came bleak, if not precarious economic prospects.

According to Barbara Leitch Lepoer, the editor of Singapore: A Country Study (1989): “Separation from Malaysia meant the loss of Singapore’s economic hinterland, and Indonesia’s policy of military confrontation directed at Singapore and Malaysia had dried up the entrepot from that direction.” According to the same book, Singapore also faced the loss of 20 percent of its jobs with the announcement of Britain’s departure from the island’s bases in 1968. Road to Success Instead of demoralizing Singapore, these problems motivated Singapore’s leadership to focus on the nation’s economy. With Cambridge-educated lawyer Lee Kuan Yew at its helm, the Singaporean government was aggressive in promoting export-oriented, labor-extensive industrialization through a program of incentives to attract foreign investment. After all, Singapore still had its strategic location to its advantage. By 1972, one-quarter of Singapore’s manufacturing firms were either foreign-owned or joint-venture companies, and both USA and Japan were major investors.

As a result of Singapore’s steady political climate, favorable investment conditions and the rapid expansion of the world economy from 1965 to 1973, the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) experienced annual double-digit growth. With the economic boom of the late 1960s and 1970s, new jobs were created in the private sector. The government provision of subsidized housing, education, health services and public transportation generated new jobs in the public sector. The Central Provident Fund, the country’s comprehensive social security scheme sustained by compulsory contributions by employer and employee, provided the necessary capital for government projects and financial security for the country’s workers in their old age. By the late 1970s, the government changed its strategic focus to skill and technology-intensive, high value-added industries and away from labor-intensive manufacturing. In particular, information technology was given priority for expansion and Singapore became the world’s largest producer of disk drives and disk drive parts in 1989. In the same year, 30 percent of the country’s GDP was due to earnings from manufacturing.

Singapore’s international and financial services sector was and still is one of the fastest growing sectors of its economy accounting for nearly 25 percent of the country’s GDP in the late 1980s. In the same year, Singapore ranked with Hong Kong as the two most important Asian financial centers after Tokyo. By 1990, Singapore played host to more than 650 multinational companies and several thousand financial institutions and trading firms. On the political front, Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee Kuan Yew and in 2004 Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became Singapore’s third prime minister. Singaporean Identity Out of 5.312 million Singaporeans, 3.285 million are Singapore citizens and roughly 0.533 million are Singapore permanent residents. Chinese, Malays and Indians comprise the three official ethnic groups in the country. With such a multi-ethnic population, the country’s leadership envisioned a Singaporean identity that calls for “rugged individualism with an emphasis on excellence”.

Summary The island’s initial success resulted from its role as a conveniently located and duty-free entrepot for the three-way trade among China, India and the Malay archipelago. By the late 19th century, the British overloads of Singapore had extended their influence throughout the Malay peninsula and the port of Singapore acquired a rich hinterland of resources. When the British failed to protect Singapore from Japanese occupation during World War II, they lost their credibility with the Singaporeans. The aftermath sparked an outpouring of anti-colonial and nationalist sentiments. After the Merger with Malaysia and the subsequent separation, the former colonial port of Singapore become a leader in global financing and trading in the 1970s. Today, it continues to wittingly maneuver its way in the world of international trade, just as it had done in the 19th century, and a large part of that success is owed to its government’s pro-industrialization policies and excellence-oriented multi-ethnic people. Posted by via: mcdonaldobservatory.org So whenever you think about your life and existence, about the good and bad in this world, keep in mind that we are just a tiny, little dot lost in space. Just a little recap.

This is where we live. photo credits: Andrew Z. Colvin (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons This is how we look like in our solar system. photo credits: Andrew Z. Colvin (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons And in our interstellar neighborhood. photo credits: Andrew Z. Colvin (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons Our neighborhood compared to our galaxy. photo credits: Andrew Z. Colvin (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons And how it looks like from farther. photo credits: Andrew Z. Colvin (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons Let’s zoom out a little more. photo credits: Andrew Z. Colvin (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons Some more. photo credits: Andrew Z. Colvin (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons And here we are, here is the observable universe. Everything we said before fits in that little red dot. Impressive, right?

photo credits: Andrew Z. Colvin (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons Thinking about how tiny and insignificant we are compared to the universe totally blew my mind Posted by Mongodb explain() Query Analyzer and it's Verbosity - First creating 1 million documents: > for(i=0; i<100; i++) { for(j=0; j<100; j++) {x = []; for(k=0; k<100; k++) { x.push({a:i, b:j, c:k, _id:(100*100*i+100*... 2 months ago Choosing a Primary Key: Natural or Surrogate? - This post overviews strategies for assigning primary keys to a table within a relational database. In particular, it focuses on the issue of when to use na... 9 months ago A Judgement... - “My boss drove a luxury car everyday and it was my duty to greet him and to open the gates for him, as I worked as a watchman in his villa. But he never re...

1 year ago Tokoh Malaysia | Malaysia | Singapore (Father of Malaysia), was Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1955 , and the country's first Prime Minister from independence in 1957 . He remained Prime Minister after Sabah , Sarawak , and Singapore joined in 1963 to form Malaysia . Birth Born in Istana Pelamin , Alor Star , Kedah , Abdul Rahman was the fourteenth son and twentieth child of Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah , the twenty-fourth Sultan of Kedah . His mother, Cik Menjalara , was the Sultan's sixth wife and the daughter of Siamese nobleman, Luang Naraborirak (Kleb), a Thai district officer during the reign of King Rama V of Thailand . Of all the Prime Ministers, Tunku had the most interesting story of birth. In 1902, theKeeper of the Ruler’s Seal was exposed as a man who had misused the trust placed inhim and had sold state land for his own gain.

Punishment lay with the Sultan, whoordered death for the Keeper, and decreed that the right thumb of the Keeper’s wife aswell as those of his children should be chopped off as a taint they would carry on for therest of their lives.The Keeper’s wife rushed to Menjalara, then known to be the Sultan’s favourite andimplored her intervention. Menjalara, following her maternal instincts, agreed tointercede. She had an audience with her husband, the Sultan and told him that she was pregnant again, but feared her child might be seriously affected if the punishment on theKeeper and his family were to be carried out.Menjalara was a subtly a clever woman. There is a Malay superstition that a husbandshould do nothing evil during the period of his wife’s pregnancy, otherwise a dark spiritwould enter the child in the womb. Sultan Abdul Hamid was so elated at the news that his favourite wife was presenting himwith another child, and so anxious that nothing unfortunate should happen that he orderedthe Keeper to prison instead and cancelled the punishment on his family.The truth, however, was that Menjalara was not pregnant at that time.

But she conceivedsoon afterwards, and the child born was Abdul Rahman who delights to say when he wasalive that he was “born under a lie”. More From This User History of Singapore | Visit Singapore a Best Destination Travel Guide by Travelindex page_top History of Singapore Singapore’s history dates from 11th century. Based on the Chinese historical account the island is known as "Pu-Long-Chung", an island at the end of the peninsula. During the 13th century the country was become a part of the Srivijayan Empire and was known as Temasak (the sea town) was known as an early settlement inhabited by Malay and Chinese. The legend of Sang Nila Utama, explained how Singapore acquire its present name. According to the legend, the prince of Sumatra is looking for a suitable place for a new city and visited the islands coast of Sumatra. During his hunting on Temasek he saw a strange animal fine looking animal that moved with great speed. Thought that what he saw was a lion, and believed it to be good omen, thus decided to build a new city in Temasek and named it "Singapura", city of lion.

Beginning of modern Singapore During 16th to 19th centuries, the Malay Archipelago was gradually taken over by European colonial powers. The dominance of Portuguese was challenged by the Dutch during 17th century whom later on came to control most of the port in the region and established monopoly over the trade within the archipelago. Sir Stamford Raffles, the Lieutenant- Governor of Bencoolen in Sumatra strongly opposed the monopoly of trade by the Dutch and so realized the necessity to break the Dutch monopoly of trade. Determined to break the monopoly of the Dutch over the trade, he wrote several complaints to the East India Company against the Dutch and forwarded ideas about forming a new British Settlement. After several try the Governor-General of British India, agreed to let him visit Calcutta and present his ideas in person. Raffles sailed towards east and on 29 January 1819 he landed in Singapore, with its geographical position and excellent harbour and abundant supply of food and drinking water he decided to set up the new port that the British desperately needed.

Though the Malay chief or Temenggong, was willing to give Raffles permission to start a settlement the island is nominally ruled by the Sultan of Johor, Tengku Rahman, who was under by the Dutch control. The weakened factional division of the Sultanate and the loyalty of Malay chiefs to the older brother of Sultan Tengku Rahman led to a formal treaty concluded by Raffles on the 6 February 1819 with Sultan Hussein of Johor and the Temanggong, as the de jure and de facto rulers of Singapore respectively. The treaty allows the British to establish a trading post in southern Singapore and that the Sultanate and the Temenggong would be paid yearly. After singing the treaty Raffles returned to Bencoolen and left his assistant Major William Farquhar in charge of the new settlement. As a prized settlement, Singapore as a free port attracted traders as well as immigrants mostly from Malay Archipelago, Southeast Asia, India and China. By the year 1825 Singapore surpassed the trade volume of the long established port of Penang. In 1822, three years after the establishment of the trading post Raffles returned to Singapore.

To ensure that the Singapore will be functional and orderly city, he developed a plan for the improvement the town. Raffles divided the British town into sections - government and public use, business and residential. The north bank of the Singapore River was reserved for government and public use. The south bank was turned into business area. The area of the hill on the south bank of Singapore River was developed into a Commercial Square in wherein both Asian and European merchants could trade and live. Under his plan ethical subdivision was also organized and a network of roads was built. On 7 June 1823, the second treaty singed by Raffles with the Sultanate and the Temenggong, the agreement brought the island under the British law with the provision that it would take account Malay customs, tradition and religion. The new Resident John Crawfurd, who replaced Farquhar carried out the plan of laid by Raffles. Strait Settlement The Dutch government protested the establishment of the new settlement by the British based on the argument that Sultan Abdul Rahman was the rightful Sultan of Johor-Riau Sutltanate and not Tenaka Hussein whom Raffles signed the treaty with.

This dispute was solved when the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 was signed between the British and the Dutch. Among the terms of the treaty, was the division of Malay Archipelago into two colonial powers- Malacca, Penang and Singapore falling under British sphere of influence which will be under British control and the Dutch sphere of influence. Having solved the problem with the Dutch, the East India Company (EIC) concluded another treaty with the Sultan Hussein and the Temanggong. Based on the treaty the entire island of Singapore was handed over to the EIC in return for more cash payments and pensions. Singapore become the centre of government for the three areas and grew to become an important port in the region. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 boost trade in Singapore and became a major port of call for ships plying between Europe and East Asia. At the end of 19th century, Singapore was experiencing exceptional prosperity and trade expanded eightfold between 1873 and 1913. The affluence attracted immigrants from areas around the region. Chinese became the largest ethnic group in Singapore, followed by Malays who worked as fishermen, craftsmen or as wage earners.

By 1860, the Indians became the second largest ethnic group in Singapore consisting of unskilled labourers, traders and convicts who were sent to carry out public work projects. Despite the prosperity of the country, the administration governing the island was understaffed, incompetent and was unconcerned with the welfare of the public. Singapore’s peace and prosperity ended in the early morning of 15 February 1942 when the Japanese bombs rained down on the island. Japanese Occupation The occupation of Japanese in Singapore was like a long nightmare that lasted for three years and half. During the occupation the Japanese gave Singapore a new name "Syonan-to" which means the light of the South. However the light did not shine brightly to the people of Singapore. People suffered and lived in constant fear of Japanese. The Japanese imprisoned all the Europeans found in Singapore. The prisoners-of-war (POW) were kept in various camps of Changi Prison, Selarang Barracks, Siam Road Camp and others. Some were sent to Thailand for the railroad construction. Force to work with simple tools and long work hours with less food to eat.

The railways was completed within 16 months despite the estimated 5 years of railroad construction, it cost the lives of thousands of people. Thus, the railways became known as the Death Railway. The other prisoners who were in the prison camps were made to clean up the city, bury the dead bodies and restore water and electricity supplies. The food shortage and poor health conditions in the prisons led to the death of many POWs. The law and order in the country was critical during the occupation. Looters caught were shot to death and had their heads displayed at Dhoby Ghaut, Anderson Bridge and Kallang Bridge. Cloud of suspicion also arise dues to the spies of Kempeitai or Japanese Military Police that encourage people to give information in return of reward and privileges. Harsh measures were given to those arrested and suspected as anti Japanese. Mass executions claimed about 50,000 in Singapore. The populace suffered severe hardship throughout the three and half years of Japanese Occupation. In August 1945, the World War II ended. The British forces led by Lord Louis Moutbatten returned to Singapore to receive formal surrender of Japanese forces in the region from General Itagaki Seihiro and to govern Singapore under the British Military Administration.

In March 1946 the period of military administration ended, the Straits Settlement was also dissolved. Singapore became a Crown Colony on 1 April 1946 while Malacca and Penang became part of the Malayan Union in 1946 and later the Federation of Malaya in 1948. Singapore as a crown colony with civil administration was headed by a Governor. The clamor of the people to have a say in the government led to the establishment of separate Executive and Legislative Councils. The Governor continued to hold a firm control over the colony but there was a provision for the election of six members to the Legislative Council by popular vote. On 20 March 1948 the first Singapore election was held. Three months after the election the communist party of Malaya tried to take over Malaya and Singapore by force. A state of emergency was declared on June 1948 and lasted for 12 years. Towards the end of 1953, the British Government appointed a commission under Sir George Rendel to review the country’s constitutional position and to make recommendation for change.

In 1954 based on Rendel’s proposals the British decided to give Singapore limited self-government. This meant that certain less important areas of government would be controlled by local representatives while the British Ministers would control more important areas in the country such as defense, finances and foreign affairs. The 1955 Legislative election was an exciting event on the history of the Singapore with several political parties joining the fray. Automatic registration expanded the voters registry to 75,000 to over 300, 000 which included large numbers of Chinese. Lobour Front party won most seat and David Marshall, became Singapore’s first Chief Minister on 6 April 1955. As a Chief Minister, David Marshall was still under the control of the Governor. With limited self-government Marshall felt insufficient and by 1956, he led a group of men to London to ask the British government for full self-government. Marshall stepped down as a Chief Minister after breakdown of constitutional talks in London. Lim Yew Hock the second important leader of Labour Front replaced Marshall as Chief Minister.

He launched a crackdown on communist and leftist groups, imprisoning many trade union leaders and several pro-communist members of the PAP under the Internal Security Act. In 1957, Lim Yew Hock led another group to London and asked for full self-government. This time the constitutional talk was successful. Constitutional Agreement was signed in London on 28 May 1958. It was in 1959 when the self-governance was attained. The first Singapore general election was held to choose 51 representatives to the first fully elected Legislative Assembly. The People’s Action Party (PAP) swept the election, winning forty three of the fifty-one seats. On 3 June 1959, a huge crowd gathered at the Padang in front of the City Hall, the confirmation of Singapore as a self governing state was proclaimed by the Governor, Sir William Goode, who became the first Yang di-Pertuan Negara (Head of State). Lee Kuan Yew was declared as Singapore’s first Prime Minister.

Despite the fact that the PAP’s victory was viewed with dismay by foreign and local business leaders the PAP government went on to fight for independence and tackle the pressing problems of unemployment, housing and education. The government felt that the best solution to the country’s growing unemployment problem would be to merge with the Malaya. 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 form of merger. The main terms of the merger agreed upon by the two leaders were to have central-government responsibility for defense, foreign affairs and internal security but local autonomy in education and labor. In 1 September 1962, a referendum on the terms of merger was held. On 16 September 1963, Malaysia was formed, consisting of the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and North Borneo. Brunei opted out while Indonesia and Philippines opposed the merger. The Malaysia did not start well. Racial tension within the Merger occurs as well as the conflict on the economic front.

On 9 August 1965, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew announced the separation of Singapore from the rest of Malaysia. Republic of Singapore On 9 August 1965, Singapore became an independent nation. Freed from British rule and Independent Malaysia, people were from then on known as Singaporeans. The country became a Republic with a President as Head of Republic. Yusoff Ishak was proclaimed as the first President. The Legislative Assembly was renamed as Parliaments while the assembly members became members of the Parliament. The most important man in the government was the Prime Minister who leads the Cabinet. A massive industrialization program was launched with the extension of Jurong Industrial Estate and creation of smaller estates in Kallang Park, Tanjong Rhu, Redhill, Tiong Bahru and Tanglin Halt. In 1968 the Employment Act and the Industrial Relations Act were passed to promote industrial peace and discipline among workforce. The treat of being attacked by Indonesian Military and be re-absorbed forcibly into the Malaysia Federation in unfavourable terms caused Singapore to sought international recognition of its sovereignty. In 1965, Singapore joined the United Nation and Commonwealth.

Foreign Minister Sinnathamby Rajaratnam led a new foreign service that helped assert Singapore’s independence and established diplomatic relations with other countries. On 8 August 1967, Singapore co-founded the Association of Southeast Asian Nation and was admitted into the Non-Aligned Movement in 1970. In 1968 the Economic Development Board was recognized and implemented national economic strategies. Jurong Town Corporation and the Development Bank of Singapore were set up. The Government started a program of economic restructuring after the 1979 oil crises. Modifying education policies and adopting English language as a language of instruction, expanding technology and computer education to develop a competent workforce suited for the industry. Since lack of good public housing and high unemployment are main causes of social problems. The government gave top priority to public housing. Housing and Development Board apartments were sold at low cost to provide housing to the squatters. In 1971 the British troops withdraw their force in Singapore and allowed Singapore to set up its own defense troops, the Singapore Armed Forces. In 1970 Singapore is already a politically stable state with high economic growth rate.

The economic success of the state continued through the 1980s with low unemployment rate and a real GDP growth averaging at 8% per annum. The one party Parliament that emerges from 1968 general election became a pattern. PAP had a 15 year monopoly in the parliament winning all seats in elections. A new chapter opened in Singapore’s modern history in 28 November 1990, Lee Kuan Yew passed the leadership rein to successor Goh Chok Tong, the second Prime Minister of Singapore. Goh presented an advisory style of leadership as the country continuous modernization. In 2000’s Singapore went to some post independence crisis - the treat of terrorism, in which a plot to bomb embassies and other infrastructures of the state were uncovered and a number of Jemaah Islamiya group were arrested, and SARs outbreak in 2003. Lee Hsien Long, the eldest son of Lee Juan Yew became the third Prime Minister of Singapore in 2004. He initiated several changes in the policy including the reduction of national service duration from two and half years to two years as well as the legalization of casino.

In 2006 general election the PAP returned to power winning 82 seats out of 84 parliamentary seats. Search

Question: Which country became a self-governing state within the British Empire in 1959, declared independence from Britain, joining the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, and left the federation on 9 August 1965?
Answer: Singapore