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to the past
August 9, 1965. The turning point in Singapore’s history, when Singapore and Malaysia went their separate ways.
The burning question for Singaporeans was -- how was a small island with a population of two million and no natural resources going to survive as an independent nation?
The road to nation building had begun. In the ensuing years, the young nation stepped up its efforts to improve its economy, housing and education system.
The Singapore leaders created and planned. The people worked and saved. Things began to fall into place.
Singapore’s new currency went into circulation on June 1967, while Singapore Airlines soared into the skies for the first time in 1972.
Fortunately, the regional situation relaxed with the end of the Indonesian confrontation. Singapore’s relations with Malaysia also improved after separation.
The Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean), formed in 1967, helped to promote stability and cooperation between Singapore and its neighbours.
Singapore’s landscape underwent dramatic changes with the growth of industrial estates and the redevelopment of the central business district. High-rise flats mushroomed all over the country as the Housing Development Board’s public housing programme unrolled. Mass Rapid Transit lines were constructed to solve the country’s traffic woes.
In the face of rapid modernisation, Singapore also tried to forge a national identity within its multi-racial society.
Bilingualism continued to be emphasised in schools, while National Service was introduced to strengthen Singapore’s defence.
The political scene was, and still is, dominated by the People’s Action Party (PAP).
You can read a more detailed outline of each of the following sections in Singapore Dream:
Copyright © 1998 Singapore Press Holdings. All Rights Reserved.
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