...LKY's Contributions to Singapore Aaron Epps Dr. Quek Ser Hwee June 8, 2015 Lee Kuan Yew’s Contributions to Modern Singapore: Both Contentious and Impactful A few short months before Singapore celebrates its half-century independence on August 9, 2015, the founding prime minister of an independent Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew (LKY), passed away after battling pneumonia for several months. LKY governed Singapore for more than thirty years until 1990 and is described as transitioning Singapore from the "third world to the first world in a single generation" under his leadership (Yew). He became the embodiment of the orderly transition of a region from western dominance to neo-Confucian success. His death on the morning of March 23, 2015 caused a sudden boom and several days of mourning throughout the nation. “It was almost like the long-awaited passing of a grandfather,” one Singaporean native said when I asked her how she remembered receiving the news of LKY’s passing. “You knew it was coming, but you still did not want to accept it as true.” Hundreds of thousands of Singaporeans flocked to the Parliament House where his body remained for viewing from Wednesday, March 25, 2015 to Saturday, March 28, 2015 to pay their respect. His death also attracted the attention of certain worldwide dignitaries and they paid their respect accordingly. There is no doubt that his profound contributions to Singapore advanced it as a nation and left an impact in the hearts and lives of thousands...
Words: 1787 - Pages: 8
...Beckman PS 1113 June 28, 2016 BIOGRAPHY ON LEE KUAN YEW Born in Singapore on September 16, 1923, Lee Kuan Yew became the longest-serving prime minister in world history. Lee rose through the ranks of his country's political system before becoming the first prime minister of Singapore on June 5, 1959. In 1962, Lee led Singapore into a merger with Malaysia, but three years later, Singapore left the union for good. Lee resigned as prime minister in 1990, and his son became prime minister in 2004. Lee died on March 23, 2015. Lee Kuan Yew was born into a wealthy Chinese family that had resided in Singapore since the 19th century. After World War II, Lee studied law at Fitzwilliam College, in Cambridge, UK. In 1950, he was admitted to the English bar, but instead of practicing law there, Lee returned to Singapore to do so. At the time, Singapore was a British colony and held Britain's main naval base in the Far East. The country was ruled by a governor and a legislative council, mostly comprising wealthy Chinese businessmen who were appointed rather than elected by the people. In the early 1950s, Singapore buzzed with talk of constitutional reform and independence, and Lee banded with other like minds to challenge the governing structure of the country. Soon breaking from this group and taking a more radical stance, in 1954 Lee became secretary-general of his own party, the People's Action Party. In 1955, a new Singapore constitution was introduced. It increased the number of elected...
Words: 1038 - Pages: 5
...MALAYSIA – SINGAPORE RELATIONS: THE SECURITY DILEMMAS INTRODUCTION ‘It's impossible to be friendly with Singapore because of the neighbouring city states’ unfriendliness towards Malaysia. Singapore gets into that kind of mood that they reject anything that comes from Malaysia. We try to be as friendly as possible but it's impossible’.[1] Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad Former Malaysia Prime Minister “…we fear that at some time or other there could be a random act of madness like cutting off our water supplies, which they had publicly threatened whenever there were differences between us… we have to be prepared for all contingencies”.[2] Lee Kuan Yew Former Singapore Prime Minister Singapore became a part of Malaysia in 1963. On the part of Singapore, such was a welcomed move as Singapore lacks the depth, mass and resources deemed necessary for development and survival. On the part of Malaysia, however, it started-off as a half-hearted decision, with Tunku Abdul Rahman fearing that the Chinese population in Singapore would, after the merger, upset the Malay majority in Malaya. In May 1960, he told Malayan students in London that “(The) Chinese-educated and new immigrants will always be loyal to China and they are less Malay-minded,” and that the inclusion of the 1.3 million Chinese would confuse Malayans and ruin the calm atmosphere of the Federation[3]...
Words: 9732 - Pages: 39
...Outline how the Singapore state has, through its landscapes, tried to ensure Singapore remained an integral part of the global economy; and critically evaluate if these landscapes have indeed sufficiently met the needs of Singaporeans/the world. After the Lion City’s separation from Malaysia, the Singapore government knew that Singapore needed to turn to the world as its hinterland. To ensure that Singapore stays viable, survives and thrives on the global economic stage, the state has implemented many strategies, which are reflected by Singapore’s changing economic landscapes. All these while, the Singapore government has always employed a top-down approach to its policy making; the economy has always been directed from the top. In the first industrial revolution, Singapore faced many problems like the lack of natural resources, lack of experience of local entrepreneurs and high unemployment levels. Hence in order to encourage foreign direct investment (FDI) from transnational corporations (TNCs), the government looked towards building a No. 1 workforce. This was done through passing certain parliamentary acts and bills such as the Trade Union Amendment Bill in 1966 and the Employment Act in 1968. The former was to gain direct and indirect control on the trade union in order to control the workers. The latter led to the lengthening of working hours from 39 to 44 hours per week, reduction of public holidays from 14 to 11 days, and stricter criteria for employment benefits...
Words: 916 - Pages: 4
...Why Singapore separated From Malaya In 1965? On August 7, 1965, Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, seeing no alternative to avoid further bloodshed, advised the Parliament of Malaysia that it should vote to expel Singapore from Malaysia. Despite last-ditch attempts by PAP leaders, including Lee Kuan Yew, to keep Singapore as a state in the union, the Parliament on August 9, 1965 voted 126-0 in favour of the expulsion of Singapore, with members of Parliament from Singapore not present. On that day, a tearful Lee Kuan Yew announced that Singapore was a sovereign, independent nation and assumed the role of prime minister of the new nation. His speech included this quote: "For me, it is a moment of anguish. All my life, my whole adult life, I have believed in merger and unity of the two territories. Hence, Singapore became the only country in the history of the modern world to gain independence against its own will. Under constitutional amendments passed in December of that year, the new state became the Republic of Singapore, with the Yang Di- Pertuan Negara becoming President, and the Legislative Assembly becoming the Parliament of Singapore. These changes were made retroactive to the date of Singapore's separation from Malaysia. The Malaya and British Borneo Dollar remained legal tender until the introduction of the Singapore dollar in 1967. Before the currency split, there was a discussion about a common currency between the Malaysian and Singaporean Governments. A union...
Words: 597 - Pages: 3
...Malaysia-Singapore Interconnectivity Issue Malaysia Singapore only has one bridge connecting it together since 1998. The first connection was a causeway which was opened in 1923 during the imperial British era. The Johor-Singapore causeway has been the main portal for entering and exiting Singapore for Malaysian ever since. During Tun Dr Mahathir’s administration, there was a plan to demolish the causeway to enable passing of small ships at the straits of Johor which is also known as Selat Tebrau by locals. Due to legal issues and future possible implications, the project has been scrapped under his successor, Tun Abdullah Badawi. Meanwhile...
Words: 1249 - Pages: 5
...The Association of Southeast Asian Nations or more known as ASEAN is a regional organization in the South East Asia that promotes intergovernmental cooperation and beneficial for each other between the 10 South East Asian Countries. The ten countries that are the members of ASEAN are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. ASEAN was founded on 8 August 1967 with the ASEAN declaration signed by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. ASEAN was signed right after the problem that was happened in the South East Asian Countries. The problem that occurred was known as the Indonesia and Malaysia Confrontation from 1963 to 1966. RELATIONSHIP BEFORE YEAR 1963...
Words: 1305 - Pages: 6
...0 introduction Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) started in the the year 1879 of as a company which was wholly-possessed by the legislature. Singtel is the largest telecommunication company in Singapore. Singtel have 130 years of telecom operating experience and not only that , they also played a major role in Singapores Develpment by being the key communication centre.Singtel is one of the top compananies in Asia for their telecommunication services , data services like 3G or 4G, internet and pay televisons. Singtel is not just only listed as the largest company in Singapore , but it is also listed in Optus a telecom company in Australia which is stands at the top for their integrated telecommunication services and poroducts.(about us, n.d.) We are a significant interchanges player in Asia and Africa through our key ventures in five local versatile administrators, in particular Telkomsel (Indonesia), Globe Telecom (the Philippines), Progressed Information Administration (Thailand) and PBTL (Bangladesh).(About us, n.d.) The Gathering likewise has speculations in Bharti Airtel (India), which has critical vicinity in Sri Lanka, Africa and Bangladesh.As a key financial specialist, they work nearly with their members to develop the business, by leveraging their scale in frameworks, customer touch base at and broad operational experience .Singtel's offshoots profit not just from the association with Singtel PESTEL 2.1 Political factor Singapore is a political stable...
Words: 2455 - Pages: 10
...Singapore Singapore, a country with mixed nationalities and mixed cultures, attracts numerous culture experts and enthusiasts to study on it. Here in this article, the writers would like to discuss Singapore and introduce Singapore to you from the aspects of the general knowledge of Singapore, the factors that influence the Singaporean culture, Lewis’s theory about cultural categories, Hofstede’s theory about cultural dimensions and Edward’s theory about communication styles. Brief Introduction of Singapore Singapore, officially called the Republic of Singapore, the world's busiest port, though physically small, is an economic giant. It has been Southeast Asia's most modern city for over a century. The name of Singapore comes from Malay language, which can be directly translated into the lion city. Frist of all, Singapore is located in Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia. The main island is about 42kilometres from east to west and 23 kilometers from north to south. Singapore’s total land area, including that of the smaller islands, is 697.1 square kilometers. Singapore's strategic location at the southern tip of the Malaysian peninsula has ensured its importance, which is greater than its size might seem to justify. Singapore consists of the island of Singapore and some 63 islets within its territorial waters. Like most of Southeast Asia, Singapore is generally hot and humid. It's warm and humid year round, with the temperature almost never dropping...
Words: 6699 - Pages: 27
...reduce poverty within the country. Singapore joins both IMF and World Bank under the Bretton Woods Agreements Acts in 1966, 3 August. Before we join to become IMF as a member, during the Singapore-Malaya separation, we had sought for their technical assistance and to act as a broker in the negotiation with Malaysia for a common currency and banking system. In order to so, IMF first conducted a preliminary study to identify the concerns of Singapore and Malaysia regarding the common currency issue. IMF then acts as a broker in the final round of negotiations between 10 June 1966 and 5 July 1966. Before joining World Bank as a member, Singapore had sought for 2 loans where the first loan of US$15 million was used for the construction of the first phase of the Pasir Panjang ‘B’ Power Station and the second loan of US$6.8 million was used to construct Johor River Water Project. As a pre-requisite for the loan, the World Bank then requested our government to set up statutory authority (Public Utilities Board [PUB]) to manage the utilization and repayment of the loan. The advantages of Singapore joining as a member are being able to buy gold or other currencies from IMF instead of going for drastic monetary policies domestically when we face with imbalance of payments, being a member will enhance confidence in our monetary policies as it indicates that our government had agreed and will follow the fund’s practices on the face value of the Singapore currency and exchange...
Words: 1951 - Pages: 8
...Singapore – Country Analysis Vineet Khattar; Group Work 9/29/2012 Contents Country Background: .......................................................................................................................... 3 Cultural Aspects of Singapore: ............................................................................................................ 3 Political context................................................................................................................................... 3 Economic policies of Singapore .......................................................................................................... 4 Institutional Framework ..................................................................................................................... 5 Labor Policies of Singapore ................................................................................................................. 7 Objectives of the country: .................................................................................................................. 8 Corresponding Policies Implemented by the Government ................................................................ 8 Performance ....................................................................................................................................... 9 Opportunities, Challenges and Risks......................................................................................................
Words: 3564 - Pages: 15
...picture is so compelling, so painfully clear, that it simply cannot be ignored. Faced with it, all one can do is carefully explore the contours of the ancient and the new, hoping to retain enough responsibility to open his eyes to the differences when they manifest themselves. This is what the current paper sets out to do. Though hundreds of years and thousands of miles stand between 16th century Italy and 20th century Singapore, between the writings of Niccolò Machiavelli and the statecraft of Lee Kuan Yew, the similarities are extraordinary. This paper will argue that the political views and actions of Singapore’s ruling elite – more precisely, those of the country’s ‘founding father’ Lee Kuan Yew – can be powerfully interpreted through an application of Machiavellian principles. This interpretation takes place on two levels. First, the political actions of Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) can be shown to consistently reflect Machiavelli’s prescriptions for maintaining an authoritarian regime, diffusing discontent and crushing opposition. Singapore is a country where human rights have come to be seen as nonessential in the race towards national economic excellence. Riding on the wave of modernity and capitalism, the government provides...
Words: 7718 - Pages: 31
...Case Study on Malaysia Malaysia is a multicultural society. Malaysia consists of three main ethnic groups, 50.4% being Malays, 23.7% Chinese, 11% indigenous people, 7.1% Indians and 7.8% other races. Due to its colonial past under the British rule, ethnicity has been an issue in Malaysia even up till this day. (Noor, 2013) Social identity is based on the assumption that society is structured into different social groups that that will lead to different statuses and power. In Malaysia it is largely based on race and religion. It is a known fact that Malays are given priority in many matters. The Malaysian government supports a Bumiputera centric policy; Bumiputera meaning sons of the soil, with the main intention of recognizing the Malays as the original settlers of the land. (Malaysia Today, 2014). Social categorization is when we segment our world into different groups and identify ourselves and the people around us into these different categories. Its is already mentioned above that in Malaysia, the malays are at the top. It doesn’t help that most of Malaysia’s leaders are muslim, with many prefering to label Malaysia as a Muslim country. Refering to a journal article, The Islamisation of Malaysia: Religious Nationalism in the service of ethnonationalism, The “Islamification” of this country has been ongoing since the 1980s, when Dr Mahathir became the prime minister. Religious identity seemed to have replaced ethnicity as the national identity. Since automatic status...
Words: 1009 - Pages: 5
...a new chapter of our strategy by broadening our property portfolio to build sustainable streams of profitability which now includes residential and mixed-use developments, beyond our core commercial development interests. In continuing to strengthen and enhance our diversified portfolio, we remain focused on pursuing a prudent and balanced expansion approach to capitalise on our core competitive advantages for long-term growth. Key Facts NET PROFIT OF S$106.9 MILLION FOR FY2014 The Group achieved a 64.6% increase in net profit to S$106.9 million in FY2014 on the back of higher revenue from the property division, fair value adjustments and one-off items such as gains arising from the disposal of a warehouse in Singapore and negative goodwill on acquisition of an additional effective interest in EC Mall in Beijing. Revenue Net Asset Value S$194.3M S$1,182.6M +3.8% +3.3% Profit Before Tax Earnings Per Share S$124.8M 12.9 cents +52.1% 02 METRO HOLDINGS LIMITED Annual Report +65.4% PROPERTY REVENUE (S$’000) RETAIL REVENUE (S$’000) FY2014 66,059 FY2014 128,207 FY2013 58,328...
Words: 51677 - Pages: 207
...Executive Summary FJ Benjamin is a Singapore based fashion and lifestyle company. The company distributes major clothing brands and accessories, and is one of the leading fashion distributors in Singapore. Their success is derived from their ability to secure distribution rights from major brands. FJ Benjamin introduced it very own house label, Raoul, in 2002. Raoul was created to increase the company‟s portfolio as well as to diversify away from distribution risk. Raoul contributes a large percentage of FJ Benjamin‟s annual revenue. With intensive competition in the fashion industry, Raoul must have it own identity in order to differentiate itself from the competitor. Analyses have been undertaken to determine what necessary strategies to be implemented to enhance the brand image so as to increase profits. Strategies are recommended by taking advantage of Raoul‟s strengths and building on their weaknesses in order to take advantage of the available opportunities in the market and to defend it from threats. Studies of the internal and external environment had been conducted to be able to work with Raoul‟s core competencies to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors. This report concludes that Raoul needs to make adjustments on its marketing strategies, and maintain some of its current strategies, in order to be more competitive in the fashion market. Hence, it is proposed that (1) Raoul focus on a single-market strategy and focus on the local market as well as to create...
Words: 8004 - Pages: 33
