(ST, May 13, 1955)
Hock Lee bus riots
142 pupils
to be expelled
(ST, Oct 11, 1956)
Student protest
Arrests:
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(ST, Aug 24, 1957)
Dealing with leftist extremists
Meanwhile, the struggle against the Communists went on. The Lim government took a no-nonsense stand against the Communists and their leftist supporters.
The Communists had support from some people, especially the poor and the Chinese-educated. Some of the Chinese-educated were convinced that the British were trying to put down Chinese education and culture.
The British tried to counter the Communist influence by warning the people about the Communist threat. Rewards were given to those who helped to fight the Communists.
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By the mid-1950s, the Communists’ armed insurgency had almost fizzled out, but their power was not destroyed yet. Their presence in the trade unions and influence over students in Chinese schools led to many riots, protests and boycotts.
For example, students from some Chinese schools demonstrated in protest when the government tried to introduce compulsory national service in May 1954.
In October 1956, several thousand students from Chinese middle schools staged a sit-in to protest against changes to the school system.
Another instance was the Hock Lee Bus riots in May 1955. A strike by drivers from Hock Lee Bus Company led to chaos as other workers and students joined in, leading to violent and bloody clashes with the police.
(ST, June 2, 1959)
Singapore's first prime minister
Another party, the People’s Action Party (PAP), was formed in November 1954.
In the city council elections in December 1957, the PAP won 13 seats to make it the largest party in the council. Its treasurer, Ong Eng Guan, became the first Mayor of Singapore. Crowds gathered outside City Hall to listen to his speeches, which frequently attacked colonialism.
Two years later, in 1959, Singapore gained internal self-government. In the first general elections, the PAP won 43 out of 51 seats. Lee Kuan Yew became the first prime minister.
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To foster a sense of nationhood, the state flag and crest were created. Zubir Said wrote the national anthem. At the same time, aneka ragam ra’ayat (open-air cultural concerts) were held, featuring entertainment from all the major ethnic groups in Singapore.
TUC
(ST, July 18, 1961)
Struggle for control
of the trade union
'Crisis'
Assembly
(ST, July 20, 1961)
Vote of confidence to decide LKY's
government
Reds’
school plot
(ST, Nov 28, 1961)
Exam boycott foiled by parents and
children
107
held in Singapore dawn drive
(ST, Feb 3, 1963)
Over 100 leftists
arrested
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The next few years saw an intense struggle within the PAP as the leftist elements in the party tried to seize control.
When they failed, members such as Dr Lee Siew Choh and Lim Chin Siong left the party to form the Barisan Sosialis party in August 1961.
Click to see excerpts of report.The struggle to see who ran Singapore went hand in hand with attempts to win the people over. The rivalry was especially intense in the trade unions, which were a stronghold of the leftists.
In the schools, the left found it more and more difficult to exert their influence over the students as the new government initiated a series of reforms in the education system. In protest, some Chinese school students staged an examination boycott in November 1961. However, it ended in failure as parents helped their children to beat the boycott and take the exams.
At the same time, the government tried to get rid of the Communists and other extremists. During Operation Coldstore in February 1963, more than100 leftists, including Lim Chin Siong, were arrested.
By the time Singapore joined Malaysia in September 1963, the influence of leftwing politics was on the decline. For the first time, the PAP took on the pro-communists in a general election. The party won 37 seats, while the Barisan Sosialis only managed to win 13.
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