1st Legislative Assembly of Singapore

1st Legislative Assembly of Singapore
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10 1 1 4 3 2 1 3 7 Composition at the start of the 1st Legislative Assembly of Singapore    LF (12)    DP (2)    MU (1)    PP (4)    MCA (1)   Independent (3)    PAP (3)    UMNO (1)   Appointed (7)
Overview
Legislative body	Legislative Assembly of Singapore
Meeting place	Old Parliament House, Singapore
Term	22 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
Members	32
Speaker	Sir George Oehlers
Chief Secretary	William Goode
Chief Minister	David Marshall
Party control	LF–UMNO–MCA–MU minority (until 1958) SPA–UMNO–MCA minority (from 1958)
Sessions
1st 22 April 1955 (1955-04-22) – 7 June 1956 (1956-06-07) 2nd 29 August 1956 (1956-08-29) – 8 January 1958 (1958-01-08) 3rd 9 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]

Officeholders

• Speaker : Sir George Oehlers
  • Deputy Speaker: Richard Chuan Hoe Lim (LF, later MCA)
• Chief Secretary:
  • William Goode (IND) until 9 December 1957
  • Edgeworth David (IND) from 29 January 1958
• Chief Minister:
  • David Marshall (LF) until 7 June 1956
  • Lim Yew Hock (LF, later SPA) from 7 June 1956
• Attorney General:
  • John Davies (IND) until 5 September 1955
  • Charles Harris Butterfield (IND) from 6 September 1955 until 1 July 1957
  • Ernest Pattison Shanks, (IND) from 2 July 1957
• Financial Secretary:
  • Thomas Hart (IND)
• Leader of the Opposition: Lee Kuan Yew (PAP)

Composition

Party		Members
		At election [3]	At dissolution
	Labour Front	10	0
	Progressive Party	4	0
	People's Action Party	3	4
	Democratic Party	2	0
	Malayan Chinese Association	1	1
	United Malays National Organisation	1	2
	Malay Union	1	0
	Singapore People's Alliance	0	11
	Liberal Socialist Party	0	3
	Citizens' Party	0	1
	Independent	3	2
Ex-officio members		3	3
Nominated members		4	4
Vacant seats		0	1
Total		32	32
Government majority		-4	-3

Members

Constituency	Member	Party
Bukit Panjang	Goh Tong Liang		Progressive Party (until 1956) [a] Liberal Socialist Party (1956–1958) Singapore People's Alliance (from 1958) [b]
Bukit Timah	Lim Chin Siong		People's Action Party
Cairnhill	David Marshall [c]		Labour Front (until 1957) [d] Independent (from 1957)
	Soh Ghee Soon [e]		Liberal Socialist Party (until 1958) [f] Independent (1958) Singapore People's Alliance (from 1958) [b]
Changi	Lim Cher Kheng		Democratic Party (until 1956) [a] Liberal Socialist Party (1956) Independent (from 1956)
Farrer Park	A. R. Lazarous		Labour Front (until 1956) [g] Independent (from 1956)
Geylang	Mak Pak Shee		Labour Front (until 1958) Singapore People's Alliance (1958–1959) [h] Independent (from 1959)
Havelock	Lim Yew Hock		Labour Front (until 1958) Singapore People's Alliance (from 1958) [i]
Kampong Kapor	Seah Peng Chuan		Labour Front (until 1956) [j] Independent (1956–1959) Citizens' Party (from 1959) [k]
Katong	A. J. Braga		Labour Front (until 1958) Singapore People's Alliance (from 1958) [i]
Pasir Panjang	Wong Foo Nam		Malayan Chinese Association
Paya Lebar	Lim Koon Teck		Progressive Party (until 1956) [a] Liberal Socialist Party (1956–1958) Singapore People's Alliance (from 1958) [b]
Punggol–Tampines	Goh Chew Chua		People's Action Party
Queenstown	Lee Choon Eng		Labour Front (until 1956) [g] Independent (1956–1958) Singapore People's Alliance (1958–1959) [l] Independent (from 1959)
Rochore	Tan Theng Chiang		Labour Front (until 1959) Singapore People's Alliance (from 1959) [m]
Sembawang	Ahmad Ibrahim		Independent (until 1956) People's Action Party (from 1956) [n]
Seletar	M. P. D. Nair		Independent (until 1958) Singapore People's Alliance (from 1958) [i]
Serangoon	Lim Choon Mong		Progressive Party (until 1956) [a] Liberal Socialist Party (1956–1958) Singapore People's Alliance (from 1958) [b]
Southern Islands	Mohamed Sidik		Malay Union (until 1957) [o] UMNO (from 1957)
Stamford	J. M. Jumabhoy		Labour Front (until 1958) Singapore People's Alliance (from 1958) [i]
Tanglin	John Ede		Progressive Party (until 1956) [a] Liberal Socialist Party (1956–1959) [p] Independent (from 1959)
Tanjong Pagar	Lee Kuan Yew [q]		People's Action Party
Telok Ayer	Rajabali Jumabhoy		Independent (until 1956) Liberal Socialist Party (from 1956) [r]
Tiong Bahru	William Tan		Democratic Party (until 1956) [a] Liberal Socialist Party (from 1956)
Ulu Bedok	Abdul Hamid Jumat		UMNO
Whampoa	Chew Swee Kee [s]		Labour Front (until 1958) Singapore People's Alliance (from 1958) [i]
Chief Secretary of Singapore	William Goode		Nonpartisan
Attorney-General of Singapore	John Davies [t]		Nonpartisan
	Charles Harris Butterfield [u]		Nonpartisan
	Ernest Pattison Shanks [v]		Nonpartisan
Financial Secretary	Thomas Hart		Nonpartisan
Nominated members	Francis Thomas		Labour Front
	Richard Chuan Hoe Lim		Labour Front (until 1959) Malayan Chinese Association (from 1959) [w]
	George Alexander Phimister Sutherland [x]		Independent
	Ong Piah Teng [y]		Independent
	J. M. Mason [z]		Independent
	Ewen MacGregor Field Fergusson [aa]		Independent

Notes

1. The Progressive Party and the Democratic Party merged into the Liberal Socialist Party on 5 February 1956. ^[4]
2. Joined the Singapore People's Alliance on 3 December 1958. ^[5]
3. David Marshall resigned on 29 April 1957. ^[6]
4. David Marshall resigned from the Labour Front on 17 April 1957. ^[7]
5. Soh Ghee Soon was elected on 29 June 1957.
6. Soh Ghee Soon resigned from the Liberal Socialist Party on 15 November 1958. ^[8]
7. Resigned from the Labour Front on 12 June 1956. ^[9]
8. Mak Pak Shee joined the Singapore People's Alliance (SPA) on 10 November 1958. ^[10] Mak later resigned from the SPA on 24 April 1959. ^[11]
9. The Singapore People's Alliance was founded on 10 November 1958. ^{[12] [10]}
10. Seah Peng Chuan resigned from the Labour Front on 7 June 1956. ^[13]
11. Seah Peng Chuan founded the Citizens' Party on 25 February 1959. ^[14]
12. Lee Choon Eng joined the Singapore People's Alliance (SPA) on 12 December 1958. ^[15] Lee later resigned from the SPA on 24 April 1959. ^[11]
13. Tan Theng Chiang became a member of the Singapore People's Alliance by 1959. ^[16]
14. Ahmad Ibrahim became a member of the People's Action Party by 1956.
15. Mohamed Sidik resigned from the Malay Union on 21 May 1957, to join UMNO. ^[17]
16. John Ede resigned from the Liberal Socialist Party on 17 April 1959. ^[18]
17. Lee Kuan Yew resigned on 27 April 1957. ^[19] Lee was later re-elected on 29 June 1957.
18. Rajabali Jumabhoy joined the Liberal Socialist Party on 6 February 1956. ^[20]
19. Chew Swee Kee resigned on 3 March 1959. ^[21]
20. John Davies left office on 5 September 1955.
21. Charles Harris Butterfield served from 6 September 1955, until 1 July 1957.
22. Ernest Pattison Shanks took office on 2 July 1957.
23. Richard Chuan Hoe Lim joined the Malayan Chinese Association on 23 January 1959. ^[22]
24. George Alexander Phimister Sutherland resigned on 13 June 1958. ^[23]
25. Ong Piah Teng died on 1 January 1958. ^[24]
26. J. M. Mason was appointed on 8 July 1958. ^[25] Mason later resigned on 15 December 1958. ^[26]
27. Ewen MacGregor Field Fergusson was appointed on 12 January 1959. ^[27]

References

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