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Singaporean communitarianism was founded by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1959 under the People's Action Party (PAP).
Communitarianism is the belief that a perfect society relies not of the ambition of personal individualism, but rather consists of the responsibilities of cohesive communal structures. This is inherently a dualistic approach to a nationalistic society. Singaporean communitarianism sets up communities to support the greater good, much like the spokes support a wheel. Emphasis is placed not on the inherent rights a government owes to an individual, but rather the inherent responsibilities an individual owes to their community.
Lee Kuan Yew was the first Singaporean leader to emphasize a nation which created a national interest amongst the splintered cultures of Singapore. This was done as a transformative approach to the national hegemony at the time which was eroding due to a lapse in time from the historical conditions that led to the original underlying Marxist ideology of the PAP, among other things. [1] Although it may have been the pragmatic approach to Marxism that was the catalyst of a First World Singapore, it was also Lee Kuan Yew's national interest approach which allowed the success of Singapore to grow. The weakening hold of pragmatism acted as a Petri dish allowing for new concepts such as communitarianism to implant itself in the national consciousness. Recent global political trends tend to fill pragmatic voids with liberal democracy such as after the fall of the Soviet Union and most of its satellite nations. However, due to Singapore's majority ethnic Chinese (coupled with a sense of retaliatory ethnic pride against the then recent Malaysian expulsion) and its Confucian mentality, formal democratic processes were framed within a communitarian ideology. This ideological communitarian veil over Singaporean democracy includes such actions as the PAP's attempt to redirect cultural and political development towards traditional values. This redirection was perceived as way of resisting the "corrupting influences of an incipient Westernisation", or in other words a way to Confucianise society. [2]
Singaporean communitarianism included a public housing programme by the Housing Development Board (HDB) in 1960 which currently houses approximately 80% of the Singaporean population. The legislative act that allowed the HDB to acquire vast amounts of privately owned land is in contrast to British and Singaporean common law property rights. Although the HDB gave a legal rationale for the acquisition, it was clearly done to further advance the ideological hegemony of the times.
Lee Kuan Yew, born Harry Lee Kuan Yew, often referred to by his initials LKY and in his earlier years as Harry Lee, was a Singaporean statesman and lawyer who served as the Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1990. He is widely recognised as the nation's founding father.
The People's Action Party is a major conservative centre-right political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the Workers' Party (WP) and Progress Singapore Party (PSP).
Realpolitik, refers to enacting or engaging in diplomatic or political policies based primarily on considerations of given circumstances and factors, rather than strictly binding itself to explicit ideological notions or moral and ethical premises. In this respect, it shares aspects of its philosophical approach with those of realism and pragmatism. It is often simply referred to as "pragmatism" in politics, e.g. "pursuing pragmatic policies" or "realistic policies".
Barisan Sosialis was a political party in Singapore. It was formed on 29 July 1961 and officially registered on 13 August 1961 by left-wing members of the People's Action Party (PAP) who had been expelled from the PAP. The prominent founding members of the Barisan were Lee Siew Choh and Lim Chin Siong. It became the biggest opposition party in Singapore in the 1960s and the 1980s.
The sometimes turbulent relationship between the People's Action Party (PAP), the ruling party of Singapore since 1959, and United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the ruling party of Malaysia from 1955 to 2018 and again since 2020, has affected the recent history of both states.
Lim Kim San was a Singaporean politician. He was credited for leading the successful public housing program in the Southeast Asian city-state during the early 1960s, which eased the acute housing shortage problem at that time.
Lim Yew Hock was a Singaporean politician who served as the second and last Chief Minister of Singapore between 1956 and 1959. He was also a Member of the Legislative Council and Assembly between 1948 and 1963.
The following lists events that happened during 1980 in Singapore.
The 1964 race riots in Singapore refer to a series of communal race-based civil disturbances between the Malays and Chinese in Singapore following its merger with Malaysia in 1963, and were considered to be the "worst and most prolonged in Singapore's postwar history". The term is also used to refer specifically to two riots on 21 July 1964 and 2 September 1964, particularly the former, during which 23 people died and 454 others suffered severe injuries.
A benevolent dictatorship is a government in which an authoritarian leader exercises absolute political power over the state, but is perceived to do so with regard for benefit of the population as a whole, standing in contrast to the decidedly malevolent stereotype of a dictator who focuses on their supporters and their own self-interests. A benevolent dictator may allow for some civil liberties or democratic decision-making to exist, such as through public referendums or elected representatives with limited power, and often makes preparations for a transition to genuine democracy during or after their term. It might be seen as a republican form of enlightened despotism.
The history of the modern state of Singapore dates back to its founding in the early nineteenth century; however, evidence suggests that a significant trading settlement existed on the Island of Singapore in the 14th century. At the time, the Kingdom of Singapura was under the rule of Parameswara, who killed the previous ruler before he was expelled by the Majapahit or the Siamese. It then came under the Malacca Sultanate and then the Johor Sultanate. In 1819, British statesman Stamford Raffles negotiated a treaty whereby Johor allowed the British to locate a trading port on the island, ultimately leading to the establishment of the crown colony of Singapore in 1867.
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 United Kingdom. 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.
The history of Singapore began when Singapore was expelled from Malaysia and became an independent republic on 9 August 1965. After the separation, the fledgling nation had to become self-sufficient, and faced problems including mass unemployment, housing shortages and lack of land and natural resources such as petroleum. During Lee Kuan Yew's term as prime minister from 1959 to 1990, his administration curbed unemployment, raised the standard of living and implemented a large-scale public housing programme. The country's economic infrastructure was developed, racial tension was eliminated and an independent national defence system was created. Singapore evolved from a dying nation to first world status towards the end of the 20th century.
The concept of race or ethnicity in contemporary Singapore emerged from the attitudes of the colonial authorities towards race and ethnicity. Before the early 2000s, the four major races in Singapore were the Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians. Today, the Chinese-Malay-Indian-Others (CMIO) model is the dominant organising framework of race in Singapore. Race informs government policies on a variety of issues such as political participation, public housing and education. However, the state's management of race, as well as the relevance of the CMIO model, has been a point of contention amongst some in recent years.
Teh Cheang Wan was a Singaporean architect and politician who was a member of the governing People's Action Party. He was in charge of the Housing Development Board as Minister for National Development of Singapore. He served as the Member of the Singapore Parliament for Geylang West SMC on 31 January 1979 to 14 December 1986. Teh was investigated for corruption in November 1986 and was found dead on 14 December 1986 due to suicide.
Howe Yoon Chong was a Singaporean politician. He was a Minister in the Cabinet of Singapore and a member of parliament for Potong Pasir from 1979 to 1984. He was key in developing Singapore's infrastructural and financial framework, including the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, Singapore Changi Airport and public housing. In 1984, during his term as Minister for Health, to address issues raised by a greying population, he made the controversial proposal to raise the age for the withdrawal of Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings from 55 to 60 years in order that Singaporeans might have more money to live on in their old age.
The National Day Rally is an annual message delivered by the prime minister of Singapore to the entire nation, on the first or second Sunday after the National Day on 9 August. A yearly event since 1966, the prime minister uses the rally to address the nation on its key challenges, as well as to announce the country's major policy changes, the economy, future plans and achievements.
Chua Beng Huat is a Singaporean sociologist. He is currently a professor in the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Social Science at the National University of Singapore, and concurrently serving as a faculty member at the Yale-NUS College. "He has previously served as Provost Chair Professor, Faculty of Arts and Social Science (2009-2017), Research Leader, Cultural Studies in Asia Research Cluster, Asia Research Institute (2000-2015); Convenor Cultural Studies Programmes (2008-2013) and Head, the Department of Sociology (2009-2015), National University of Singapore".
Lee Kuan Yew, the founding prime minister of Singapore died at the age of 91 on 23 March 2015, after being hospitalised with severe pneumonia on 5 February that year. Many world leaders issued public condolences.
Lee Kuan Yew was the first Prime Minister of Singapore (1959-1990). A founding member of the People's Action Party, he is credited with transforming Singapore from a third-world to a first-world country. He is known for practicing political pragmatism in his governance of Singapore, but has been criticised for using authoritarian and heavy-handed policies.
