Major events of this period

The Straits Times, Dec 25, 1957 Excerpt from report The second session of Singapore's new PAP-dominated City Council yesterday proved to be no more orthodox than the first. The only thing that went as planned was the election of the PAP's nominee, Mr Ong Eng Guan, as the Colony's first Mayor. His election had been impossible on the previous day because of his arrest after an altercation with police outside the City Hall. Once again, the Council chamber and the immediate vicinity were the scene of bedlam. Never has the august atmosphere of the Council been so shattered. The 32 councillors -- elected last Saturday -- were soon no more than "heads" among a seething mass as they took their place at the horseshoe-shaped table. Spectators, surging into the chamber, proved totally beyond the control of shocked officials. They leaned over the councillors' shoulders. Others pressed against the back of the chairs -- in a room from which the public had always been barred during council sessions... ... Another surprise development was a demand by Mr Ong that a loudspeaker be erected outside the City Hall so that he could address the waiting crowd... He spoke spiritedly in Mandarin for 10 minutes and gave three cries of "merdeka". The crowd cheered and yelled in unison with him... ... After a snap vote, Mr Ong ordered the removal of the council's $15,000 mace "as a relic of colonialism". The voting was 26-0. ... The mace, a symbol of Singapore's status as a city by Royal Charter, was given to the Council in 1954 by multi-millionaire Mr Loke Wan Tho. Previous Moses' start page Leslie's start page Chee Beng's start page Nura's start page Copyright © 1998 Singapore Press Holdings. All Rights Reserved.