1st Legislative Assembly of Singapore

Last updated
1st Legislative Assembly of Singapore
Legislative Council 2nd Legislative Assembly
10
1
1
4
3
2
1
3
7
Composition at the start of the 1st Legislative Assembly of Singapore
Overview
Legislative body Legislative Assembly of Singapore
Meeting place Old Parliament House, Singapore
Term22 April 1955 (1955-04-22) – 31 March 1959 (1959-03-31)
Election 22 April 1955
Government Labour Front (until 1958)
Singapore People's Alliance (from 1958)
United Malays National Organisation
Malayan Chinese Association
Malay Union (until 1957)
Opposition People's Action Party
Progressive Party (until 1956)
Democratic Party (until 1956)
Liberal Socialist Party (from 1956)
Citizens' Party (from 1959)
Legislative Assembly of Singapore
Members32
Speaker Sir George Oehlers
Chief Secretary William Allmond Codrington Goode
Chief Minister David Marshall
Party control LFUMNOMCA-MU minority (until 1958)
SPAUMNOMCA minority (from 1958)
Sessions
1st22 April 1955 (1955-04-22) – 7 June 1956 (1956-06-07)
2nd29 August 1956 (1956-08-29) – 8 January 1958 (1958-01-08)
3rd9 April 1958 (1958-04-09) – 19 March 1959 (1959-03-19)

The 1st Legislative Assembly of Singapore was a meeting of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore from 22 April 1955 [1] until 31 March 1959. [2]

Contents

Officeholders

Composition

PartyMembers
At election [3] At dissolution
Labour Front 100
Progressive Party 40
People's Action Party 34
Democratic Party 20
Malayan Chinese Association 11
United Malays National Organisation 12
Malay Union 10
Singapore People's Alliance 011
Liberal Socialist Party 03
Citizens' Party 01
Independent32
Ex-officio members33
Nominated members44
Vacant seats01
Total3231
Government majority-5-3

Members

Elected members

ConstituencyMemberParty
Bukit Panjang Goh Tong Liang Progressive Party
Bukit Timah Lim Chin Siong People's Action Party
Cairnhill David Marshall Labour Front
Changi Lim Cher Kheng Democratic Party
Farrer Park Anthony Rebeiro Lazarous Labour Front
Geylang Mak Pak Shee Labour Front
Havelock Lim Yew Hock Labour Front
Kampong Kapor Seah Peng Chuan Labour Front
Katong Armand Joseph Braga Labour Front
Pasir Panjang Wong Foo Nam Malayan Chinese Association
Paya Lebar Lim Koon Teck Progressive Party
Punggol–Tampines Goh Chew Chua People's Action Party
Queenstown Lee Choon Eng Labour Front
Rochore Tan Theng Chiang Labour Front
Sembawang Ahmad Ibrahim Independent
Seletar Madai Puthan Damodaran NairIndependent
Serangoon Lim Choon Mong Progressive Party
Southern Islands Mohamed Sidik bin Abdul Hamid Malay Union
Stamford Jumabhoy Mohamed Jumabhoy Labour Front
Tanglin John Anthony Moore Ede Progressive Party
Tanjong Pagar Lee Kuan Yew People's Action Party
Telok Ayer Rajabali JumabhoyIndependent
Tiong Bahru William Tan Ah Lek Democratic Party
Ulu Bedok Abdul Hamid Jumat United Malays National Organisation
Whampoa Chew Swee Kee Labour Front

Ex-officio members

Ex-officio memberPosition
William Allmond Codrington Goode Chief Secretary, Singapore
John Davies Attorney-General of Singapore
Thomas Hart Financial Secretary

Nominated members

MemberParty
Francis Thomas Labour Front
Richard Chuan Hoe Lim Labour Front
George Alexander Phimister SutherlandIndependent
Ong Piah TengIndependent

Changes in members

By-elections

ConstituencyIncumbentDate of by-electionWinner
NamePartyDate seat vacatedCause of vacancyNameParty
Tanjong Pagar Lee Kuan Yew PAP 27 April 1957Resignation [4] 29 June 1957 Lee Kuan Yew PAP
Cairnhill David Marshall Independent29 April 1957Resignation [5] 29 June 1957 Soh Ghee Soon LSP

Appointments

ConstituencyMemberPolitical partyDate appointed
NominatedJ. M. MasonIndependent8 July 1958 [6]
NominatedSir Ewen FergussonIndependent12 January 1959 [7]

Vacant seats

ConstituencyMemberPartyDate seat vacatedCause of vacancy
NominatedOng Piah TengIndependent1 January 1958Death [8]
NominatedGeorge Alexander Phimister SutherlandIndependent13 June 1958Resignation [9]
NominatedJ. M. MasonIndependent15 December 1958Resignation [10]
Whampoa Chew Swee Kee SPA 3 March 1959Resignation [11]

Changes in party affiliation

MemberConstituencyDateFormer partyNew partyReason
John Anthony Moore Ede Tanglin 5 February 1956 PP LSP Progressive Party and Democratic Party merged. [12]
Goh Tong Liang Bukit Panjang 5 February 1956 PP LSP Progressive Party and Democratic Party merged. [12]
3 December 1958 LSP SPA Joined Singapore People's Alliance. [13]
Lim Cher Kheng Changi 5 February 1956 DP LSP Progressive Party and Democratic Party merged. [12]
6 June 1956 LSP IndependentResigned. [14]
Lim Choon Mong Serangoon 5 February 1956 PP LSP Progressive Party and Democratic Party merged. [12]
3 December 1958 LSP SPA Joined Singapore People's Alliance. [13]
Lim Koon Teck Paya Lebar 5 February 1956 PP LSP Progressive Party and Democratic Party merged. [12]
3 December 1958 LSP SPA Joined Singapore People's Alliance. [13]
William Tan Ah Lek Tiong Bahru 5 February 1956 DP LSP Progressive Party and Democratic Party merged. [12]
Rajabali Jumabhoy Telok Ayer 6 February 1956Independent LSP Joined Liberal Socialist Party. [15]
Seah Peng Chuan Kampong Kapor 7 June 1956 LF IndependentResigned. [16]
25 February 1959Independent CP Formed Citizens' Party. [17]
Lee Choon Eng Queenstown 12 June 1956 LF IndependentResigned. [18]
12 December 1958Independent SPA Joined Singapore People's Alliance. [19]
Anthony Rebeiro Lazarous Farrer Park 12 June 1956 LF IndependentResigned. [18]
David Marshall Cairnhill 17 April 1957 LF IndependentResigned. [20]
Mohamed Sidik bin Abdul Hamid Southern Islands 21 May 1957 MU UMNO Resigned. [21]
Ahmad Ibrahim Sembawang 20 October 1957Independent PAP Elected in PAP leadership. [22]
Armand Joseph Braga Katong 10 November 1958 LF SPA Joined Singapore People's Alliance. [23]
Chew Swee Kee Whampoa 10 November 1958 LF SPA Joined Singapore People's Alliance. [23]
Jumabhoy Mohamed Jumabhoy Stamford 10 November 1958 LF SPA Joined Singapore People's Alliance. [24]
Lim Yew Hock Havelock 10 November 1958 LF SPA Formed Singapore People's Alliance. [24]
Mak Pak Shee Geylang 10 November 1958 LF SPA Joined Singapore People's Alliance. [23]
Madai Puthan Damodaran Nair Seletar 10 November 1958Independent SPA Joined Singapore People's Alliance. [24]
Soh Ghee Soon Cairnhill 15 November 1958 LSP IndependentResigned. [25]
3 December 1958Independent SPA Joined Singapore People's Alliance. [13]
Tan Theng Chiang Rochore Late 1958 LF SPA Joined Singapore People's Alliance. [26]
Richard Chuan Hoe LimNominated23 January 1959 LF MCA Joined Malayan Chinese Association. [27]

Post-dissolution changes in party affiliation

MemberConstituencyDateFormer partyNew partyReason
John Anthony Moore Ede Tanglin 17 April 1959 LSP IndependentResigned. [28]
Lee Choon Eng Queenstown 24 April 1959 SPA IndependentResigned. [29]
Mak Pak Shee Geylang 24 April 1959 SPA IndependentResigned. [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Action Party</span> Political party in Singapore

The People's Action Party (PAP) is a major conservative political party of the centre-right in Singapore. It is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in the Parliament of Singapore, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and the Progress Singapore Party (PSP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Workers' Party (Singapore)</span> Political party in Singapore

The Workers' Party is a major social democratic political party in Singapore and one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the governing People's Action Party (PAP) and the other opposition Progress Singapore Party (PSP). The WP sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum and is currently the largest and oldest opposition party in Parliament, having contested every parliamentary election since 1959 against the dominant PAP. Since the 1991 general election, the WP has been the only political party, other than the PAP, with elected Members of Parliament (MPs).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Marshall (Singaporean politician)</span> 1st Chief Minister of Singapore (1955–56)

David Saul Marshall, born David Saul Mashal, was a Singaporean barrister and statesman who served as the inaugural Chief Minister of Singapore from 1955 to 1956. He resigned after just over a year at the helm after his delegation to London regarding negotiations for complete home rule and eventual independence of Singapore was initially rejected by the British. However, Marshall was nevertheless instrumental in forging the idea of sovereignty as well as in subsequent negotiations that led to its eventual self-governance from the United Kingdom in 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labour Front</span> Political party in Singapore

The Labour Front was a political party in Singapore that operated from 1955 to 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lim Chin Siong</span> Singaporean politician (1933–1996)

Lim Chin Siong was a Singaporean politician and union leader active in Singapore in the 1950s and 1960s. He was one of the founders of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), which has governed the country continuously since independence. Lim also used his popularity to galvanise many trade unions in support of the PAP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lim Yew Hock</span> Malaysian politician

Lim Yew Hock was a Singaporean-born Malaysian politician and diplomat who served as Chief Minister of Singapore between 1956 and 1959. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Cairnhill between 1959 and 1963 and previously a Member of the Legislative Council and later Legislative Assembly between 1948 and 1963. He was de facto Leader of the Opposition between 1959 and 1963. He and his family elected to take up Malaysian citizenship after Singapore's independence from Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1959 Singaporean general election</span> Elections to the 2nd Legislative Assembly of Singapore

General elections were held in Singapore on 30 May 1959. They were held under the new constitution and were the first in which all 51 seats in the Legislative Assembly were filled by election. This was the first election victory for the People's Action Party (PAP), as they won a landslide victory with 43 seats. The party has remained in power ever since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Self-governance of Singapore</span> Historical progress from UK colony (1819) to sovereign state (1965)

The self-governance of Singapore was carried out in several stages. Since the founding of Singapore in 1819, Singapore had been under the colonial rule of the British. The first local elections on a limited scale for several positions in the government of Singapore started in 1948 following an amendment to the Constitution of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legislative Assembly of Singapore</span> Government of Singapore

The Legislative Assembly of the State of Singapore was the legislature of the Government of Singapore from 1955 to 1965 and is the predecessor of the Parliament of Singapore. The Rendel Constitution, proposed in 1953, sought to give the local population more self-governance as the Merdeka independence movement grew. The Constitution took effect upon the conclusion of the 1955 general election, creating the new Legislative Assembly to replace the Legislative Council of Singapore. In contrast to the Legislative Council, the majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly in 1955 were allotted by election rather than appointment by the British colonial government. 25 seats were elected and 7 were appointed. The British colonial government still reserved significant power, such as that of veto and control of certain aspects of the government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ong Eng Guan</span> Singaporean politician

Ong Eng Guan was a Singaporean politician who served as Minister for National Development between 1959 and 1960. An anti-communist, Ong was a Chinese-educated orator who became popular among the Chinese community in Singapore. He was also one of the pioneering members of the governing People's Action Party (PAP). He was elected into the City Council of Singapore and became the first and only elected mayor in Singapore's history after the 1957 City Council election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1955 Singaporean general election</span> Elections to the 1st Legislative Assembly of Singapore

General elections were held in Singapore on 2 April 1955 to elect members to the 25 elected seats in the Legislative Assembly. Nomination day was on 28 February 1955.

Changi Single Member Constituency was a single member constituency covering Changi and eastern outer islands such as Pulau Ubin, Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chew Swee Kee</span> Singaporean politician

Chew Swee Kee was a Singaporean politician. A member of political party Labour Front, Chew served as the first Minister of Education from 1955 to 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arumugam Ponnu Rajah</span> Singaporean politician

Arumugam Ponnu Rajah, also known as A. P. Rajah, was a Singaporean judge, diplomat and politician. He served as Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore between 1964 and 1966 becoming the first speaker after independence, as Singapore High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and later Singapore High Commissioner to Australia, and thereafter on the Supreme Court. He was Singapore's first Supreme Court judge to remain on the bench after turning 70.

The 3rd Legislative Assembly of Singapore was a meeting of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore. Its first and only session started on 22 October 1963 and ended on 16 June 1965. The assembly was dissolved on 9 August 1965 and was succeeded by the 1st Parliament of Singapore.

The 2nd Legislative Assembly of Singapore was a meeting of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore from 1 July 1959 until 3 September 1963.

John Anthony Moore Ede was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore, the chairman of the Singapore Anti-Tuberculosis Association, the General Manager of Cathay Organisation, the secretary of the Singapore Progressive Party and a pioneer of the orchid trade on the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. J. Braga</span> Singaporean politician (1900–1968)

Armand Joseph Braga was a Singaporean politician and lawyer who served as the first Minister for Health between 1955 and 1959 and was a member of Labour Front. He was a part of the first Legislative Assembly of Singapore, representing Katong Constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Thomas (politician)</span> Singaporean politician and educator (1912–1977)

Francis Thomas was an English-born Singaporean former politician and educator. He was a founding member of political party Labour Front and served as the Minister of Communications and Works from 1955 to 1958 during the 1st Legislative Assembly of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felice Leon-Soh</span> Singapore politician (1922/23 to 1983)

Felice Leon-Soh was a politician and social worker in Singapore. Initially a school principal, she was elected a member of the City Council of Singapore representing Mountbatten as a member of the Liberal Socialist Party (LSP) in 1957. She left the party at the start of 1959 due to a dispute. She then continued in the council as an independent for a few months before resigning to contest in the 1959 Singaporean general election as the president of the Katong United Residents' Association (KURA).

References

  1. "LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY GENERAL ELECTION 1955". Singapore Elections. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. "LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY GENERAL ELECTION 1959". Singapore Elections. Archived from the original on 29 November 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. "LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY GENERAL ELECTION 1952 SEATS". Singapore Elections.
  4. "LEE v MARSHALL AT POLLS". The Straits Times. 27 April 1957. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  5. "Marshall Resigns". The Straits Times. 1 May 1957. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  6. "MASON TO SERVE IN ASSEMBLY". Singapore Standard. 9 July 1958.
  7. "Sir Ewen Replaces Mr. Mason". Singapore Standard. 13 January 1958.
  8. "Mr. Ong's Funeral Today". Sunday Standard. 5 January 1958.
  9. "SUTHERLAND RESIGNS SEAT". Singapore Standard. 25 June 1958.
  10. "MASON RESIGNS HIS ASSEMBLY SEAT". The Straits Times. 16 December 1958. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  11. "Chew to resign from the SPA". The Straits Times. 8 March 1959. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "TWO PARTIES WILL MARRY' THIS MORNING". The Straits Times. 5 February 1956. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "S.P.A. ADOPTING AN OPEN DOOR POLICY". The Straits Times. 4 December 1958. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  14. "Lim Is Fed Up, Quits Lib-Socs". Singapore Standard. 7 June 1956.
  15. "PARTY SEASON: MR. J (Ind) JOINS IN". The Straits Times. 7 February 1956. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  16. "SEAH QUITS THE FRONT". The Straits Times. 8 June 1956. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  17. "Citizens' Party". Singapore Elections. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. 1 2 "Radical Democratic Party In Offing". Indian Daily Mail. 12 June 1956.
  19. "House debates company and income tax rise". Straits Budget. 24 December 1958.
  20. "MARSHALL; FRONT ACCEPTS HIS RESIGNATION". The Straits Times. 18 April 1957. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  21. "Assemblyman Sidik joins the UMNO". The Straits Times. 22 May 1957. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  22. "THE LEE TEAM RUNS PAP AGAIN". The Straits Times. 21 October 1957. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  23. 1 2 3 "Mr. Chew: I am in People's Alliance". The Straits Times. 13 November 1958. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  24. 1 2 3 "Mr. LIM LEADS NEW PARTY". The Straits Times. 11 November 1958. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  25. "ANOTHER TWO LIBSOC BRANCHES TO JOIN LIM". The Straits Times. 16 November 1958. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  26. "Five for Tun Lim's old ground". The Straits Times. 9 May 1959.
  27. "Mr Lim (deputy speaker) OF SINGAPORE joins the MCA". Singapore Standard. 24 January 1959.
  28. "Lib-Soc shock: 103 quit party". The Straits Times. 18 April 1959.
  29. 1 2 "194 TO CONTEST COLONY GENERAL ELECTIONS". Straits Budget. 29 April 1959.