Category Archives: Singapore History

Yong Nyuk Lin, member of Singapore’s first Cabinet, dies

By Saifulbahri Ismail | Posted: 29 June 2012 

SINGAPORE: Mr Yong Nyuk Lin, a member of Singapore’s first Cabinet, has died. He was 94.

The late Mr Yong was the brother-in-law of former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s late wife, Madam Kwa Geok Choo.

Born in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, Mr Yong stood for elections in 1959 and became a Member of Parliament in Geylang West.

He served as a minister from 1959 to 1976. His portfolios included Education, Health and Communications. 

He helped to shape modern Singapore by carrying out measures to increase access to education, establish sustainable population growth, improve public transport and reduce traffic congestion. 

The late Mr Yong was the general manager of Overseas Assurance Company when he resigned to stand for elections in 1959.

He became a Member of Parliament in Geylang West.

That year as Education Minister, Mr Yong launched a Chinese literacy drive, using Mandarin as a common language of all Chinese dialect group.

He also started adult education classes to teach Malay.

In addition, Mr Yong doubled the intake of students in schools, converting each school into two by providing morning and afternoon sessions.

He ran a crash programme to train the teachers needed and promoted many of the senior teachers to principals, headmasters and headmistresses.

In 1963, he moved to the Health Ministry.

His ministry improved public cleanliness by implementing a hawkers’ code to raise hygiene standards, banning cattle from built-up areas and reorganising refuse collection.

In 1966, the Population and Family Planning Board was formed to slash Singapore’s unsustainably high rate of 29 births per thousand.

It offered advice and subsidised contraceptives to all eligible married women.

Mr Yong was transferred to the new Ministry of Communications in 1968. 

Among the projects the department handled during his tenure were the creation of Singapore Airlines and the Singapore Telecommunications Authority, the expansion of civil aviation and Singapore’s container port facilities, and early studies of the feasibility of the MRT.

But much of his energies were devoted to traffic and public transport.

In order to reduce traffic and congestion, he raised the cost of car registration by 25 per cent, encouraged car-pooling, acted to suppress the pirate taxi trade, and introduced school buses and bus lanes.

The biggest anti-congestion measure he implemented, which drew international attention on its launch in mid-1975, was the Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) – the forerunner of the Electronic Road Pricing system (ERP).

Mr Yong received the Order of Nila Utama on National Day in 1990 for his contributions prior to Singapore’s merger with and then separation from Malaysia.

– CNA/cc/al

Link : Yong Nyuk Lin, member of Singapore’s first Cabinet, dies

***********************************************************************************

  MParader

Saddened by the deaths of 3 seniors I knew personally – Freddy Lee, You Poh Seng and Yong Nyuk Lin. My sincere condolences to their families. I suppose when the time comes, you go. That’s life.

I knew Freddy socially. He was always friendly and cheerful. Dr You Poh Seng taught me Economics n Statistics in the then University of Singapore. Yong Nyuk Lin was helpful when I was a rookie MP n Minister before he left Parliament in 1980.

The 1959 Cabinet is survived by 2 or 3 members – Lee Kuan Yew, Ong Pang Boon n Ong Eng Guan (?). The other Members who had passed away were SRajaratnam, Ahmad Ibrahim, Goh Keng Swee, Toh Chin Chye n K M Byrne. We owe them a debt for gaining us Independence and building the foundation of today’s Singapore. — gct

The leftist hole in history books


Protesters fleeing amid tear gas released during the Hock Lee bus riots in 1955. Chinese-medium school students were responsible for the riots, as well as other anti-British protests in the 1950s. — ST FILE PHOTO

To not tell all sides of the story is to do the young a disservice

Two subjects made the news recently, one to do with Singapore’s turbulent political history and the other, the restless, questioning symbols of its future.

Former leftist leader and ex-political detainee Lim Hock Siew died at age 81 on June 4, leading several friends and observers to call for a fairer accounting of his contributions towards the making of a new nation.

In the same week, a teenage blogger’s critique of a minister who had thrown back questions on topical issues posed by pre-university students – with the aim of sussing out what students themselves thought – stirred debate.

What struck me was not so much the expletives 17-year-old Reuben Wang used in his blog post or his subsequent apology to Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, but the reactions by other young people to what is a common rhetorical device at ministerial forums. The consensus among those interviewed by this newspaper was that any sharing of views has to cut both ways and, above all, they want to hear from the horse’s mouth the policymaker’s view of thorny issues.

Essentially, not only are the Generations Y and Z of this world more outspoken through social media, they also place a higher premium on transparency than their elders, given their exposure to all kinds of views on the Internet.

The relevance of this for the teaching of history is that it is much better to deal with the stories of the leftists in a balanced way – and in the process, give the young tools to make informed judgments – rather than maintain a studied silence on these anti-establishment figures and have young Singaporeans lionise them simply because of their marginalised status.

To be fair, the teaching of the country’s political history has evolved somewhat from my student days. A look at the current lower secondary textbook on Singapore history shows that a whole page is now devoted to Mr Lim Chin Siong, the most influential left-wing leader in the run-up to Singapore’s independence, who died in 1996. The biographical sketch outlines his political career up to his detention without trial from 1963 to 1969. It even includes a quote from the first Chief Minister of Singapore, Mr David Marshall, who upon being introduced to Mr Lim in 1955 by Mr Lee Kuan Yew, was told by the latter that Mr Lim was ‘the finest Chinese orator in Singapore and he will be our next prime minister’.

However the large numbers of politically active Chinese-medium school students, whose support propelled to power a PAP comprising Mr Lee’s moderates and Mr Lim’s leftist faction, still get short shrift in the textbook, studied by all lower secondary students.

The Chinese school students, responsible for the Hock Lee bus riots and other anti-British protests in the 1950s,

  • are seen largely as violent dissenters manipulated by the communists. That is only one side of the story,
  • the other being their frustration at being an underclass in colonial society, pride in the Chinese language and culture and their sense of idealism, justice and social discipline.
  • These qualities – in contrast to the largely apathetic English-educated students at the time – were highlighted by Mr Lee himself in his memoirs, as well as by English-educated leftists like Dr Lim Hock Siew in his oral history interview with the National Archives.

The history syllabus also says very little about the Barisan Sosialis, the leftist party founded by the likes of Dr Lim and Mr Lim Chin Siong and the main opposition to the PAP in the 1960s.

The likely reason is the touchy matter of the detentions of many leftists under the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows for preventive detention of security threats before a crime has been committed. Detainees are arrested based on classified intelligence and never tried in open court.

The two Lims as well as Mr Fong Swee Suan and Dr Poh Soo Kai – two other prominent former leftists who are still alive – were among more than 100 left-wing politicians and trade unionists detained under the ISA in Operation Coldstore. The lower secondary history textbook mentions this security operation in a footnote, saying those arrested were ‘alleged to be involved in subversive activities to establish a ‘Communist Cuba’ in Singapore’.

Dr Lim, who was detained for a total of 19 years because he refused to agree to conditions that would have granted earlier release, is not mentioned.

These Barisan leaders deserve a fuller sketch putting their actions in context. While they were undoubtedly influenced by Marxist and socialist ideas prevalent at the time, some historians have since judged there to be inconclusive evidence as to whether they were acting as part of a wider communist united front or on their own initiative.

In the end, they proved to be on the wrong side of history and it is doubtful if Singapore’s economy would have been as successful under a leftist government. Yet, as one letter writer pointed out in The Straits Times Forum Page, pro-working class activists like Dr Lim ‘provided a formidable psychological force to ensure that any newly elected government of post-independent Singapore would have only one option – to be corruption-free and effective to improve the livelihood of the people’.

Today, the official pro-PAP version of Singapore’s history has been challenged by published accounts of former leftists, also circulated online.

The result, however, is a tendency by some young Singaporeans to be ‘reading the past selectively for heroes and acts of repression in order to address contemporary concerns’, as a new book by four Singapore historians and educators puts it. The book is about one of the cradles of political activism in the 1950s, the University of Malaya’s University Socialist Club. Authors Loh Kah Seng, Edgar Liao, Lim Cheng Tju and Seng Guo Quan say their response to such selective reading is to ‘tell an empathetic story of the club, detached from the old cliches of communist manipulation, while not forgetting the ideological blinkers and failures in the club’s history’.

To make history meaningful for the young, the least school lessons could do is strive for an accurate and impartial account that covers all sides.

The bottom line is that there was nothing inevitable about this nation state. It was formed out of a contest of ideas, and the passion, determination, self-sacrifice and intellectual verve shown by the People’s Action Party Old Guard and their opponents are all qualities the young can learn from.

History, which is fundamentally about weighing one source against another, equips the young with the critical skills to parse evidence and come to their own conclusions. Needless to say, your future and mine depend on how effectively they can do that in all areas of life.

clare@sph.com.sg
By Clarissa Oon, Senior Writer, Published on Jun 17, 2012, StraitsTimes

Singapore’s Black & White: A Brief History

image[1].jpg

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/the-classic-black-white-a-brief-history-166502

 

When it comes to classic and well-known home styles there’s the Brooklyn brownstone, the Manhattan Classic Six, the stylish California Modern Ranch and in Singapore, we have the Black and White.

Purists love the simplicity of the colonial-style homes done in minimalist white and black. The history of the black and white is quite simple: British colonists, sent to live abroad in Asia, built these homes with a nod to both the Arts and Crafts and Art Deco movements but with changes made to reflect the tropical setting. The age of the black and white spanned from approximately 1898 – 1941 during the time of British-occupied Singapore.

The homes were constructed to fit the equatorial lifestyle. An overhanging roof kept direct sun from entering the rooms but since floors were only one or two rooms deep, plenty of light was allowed to flow through the space. For the safety of the occupants, the private living spaces were placed on the second floor (back then even tigers roamed the island) and there were plenty of shuttered windows to allow for breezes and protect the home from sudden rain and wind storms. The open floor plan of the main level made it ideal for entertaining and to allow breeze to flow through the home.

After World War II, when the British troops lost (badly) to the Japanese, many of the black and whites were abandoned by their occupants and reoccupied by new Japanese commanders. Some Singaporeans are old enough to remember those days and rumor has it they refuse to live in such “haunted” homes. Many of these properties have since been restored and are highly coveted, particularly by expats: their unusually large square footage and surrounding property are the envy of apartment dwellers throughout the country. There may not be any tigers roaming wild in Singapore but the modern black and white home dweller still has the jungle at their footstep. It’s quite common for homeowners to battle monkeys, snakes, bats, and monitor lizards as well as the more common problems of mold and insects.

If you’re interested in learning more about this architectural style check out Black and White The Singapore House by Julian Davison.

********************************************************************************************************

 

Reflections of Mr Yatiman

 

https://www.facebook.com/notes/wisma-geylang-serai/reflections-of-mr-yatiman/320550997997520
by Wisma Geylang Serai on Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Wisma Geylang Serai

 

Geylang Serai remains close to my heart since I first visited it via an STC (Singapore Traction Company) electric-powered bus in the 50s with my late father. It became part of me when I moved into a Jalan Pasar Baru flat in the 70s. It was an exciting and thriving hub in Singapore. Taj Cinema, which was later redeveloped as Singapura Cinema, the old Joo Chiat Market which was later relocated to Geylang Serai Market, Galaxy Cinema, the two-storey Hawa Restaurant and a number of coffee shops where the residents would gather to chat over cups of coffee, remain indelible in my mind. 

There also used to be a Chinese coffee shop below Block 1, nicknamed “Liverpool Square.” Musicians, artistes and fans gathered there after sunset to enjoy the chicken rice and Hong Kong noodles. I also remember being a member of the sepak takraw team called Sri Geylang, led by the late Wak Radin Ismail. By 5.00 pm we would set up the court at the car park and played till the call for prayer from Aminah Mosque reminded us of our religious duties. Among those in the team are former Singapore sepak takraw players, Ramli Ismail and Said Yusof.  Said later became the Singapore coach. 

Since then, the area has gone through many changes with more to come. One exciting development for the area is the civic centre. A naming competition was held late last year, which saw about 380 creative entries attempting to name the civic centre. And, we received all kinds of entries! Amazingly, we even received the exact same names from people of different backgrounds too! As chairman of the panel that shortlisted the 10 entries for public voting, I first must thank all the participants who took part in the competition. 

The process of reading all the entries was a very heartening experience for us, because each name revealed a genuine connection and sentiment he/she has for the Geylang Serai area. With only 10 top slots for the public voting, the panel had a really hard time short-listing them. Throughout the shortlisting process, we made sure that three essential criteria were given priority; that is the name must have Relevance to the Malay Heritage, Reflect the Nature & Flavour of the civic centre & of course must be Original and Creative. 

So we started by taking out entries that did not meet the three basic criteria. Other entries had to be removed because they were too similar to existing buildings/street names, too long, too short, or too complex etc. 

The shortlisting process was efficient, engaging and precise. After scrutinising all the top 10 entries to ensure they deserve their placing, they are now up for public voting online. You can read them at the voting website www.namegeylangserai.sg/voting. 

If you notice, all 10 entries share some common ground – they have a tinge of the Malay language that serves to retain the Malay flavour and heritage of the Geylang Serai area. Each of the 10 names comes with a good backgrounder and explanation to support it showing that some thought had gone into it. The selection panel strongly believes that these 10 names can accurately portray and represent the upcoming Geylang Serai Civic Centre. 

The panel has done its part to shortlist the 10 names. I now urge you to do your part to tell us which name is best suited for the civic centre. I sincerely encourage and hope that everyone, especially those who have fond memories of Geylang Serai, to be part of this exercise to name the civic centre. 

This is just the beginning. Greater and more exciting things are awaiting Geylang Serai. 

Terima Kasih.

***********************************************************************************************************************

 

70th Anniversary of the Fall: Their Name Liveth For Evermore

 

https://www.facebook.com/notes/alex-yam/70th-anniversary-of-the-fall-their-name-liveth-for-evermore/10150806496823298
by by Alex Yam on Wednesday, February 15,

 

 

Every day, just like thousands of fellow Singaporeans, I drive past the Civilian War Memorial. A little oasis of calm amidst the bustle of the city, however, it is often missed, almost always by-passed. 

Yet, the pillars that soar skywards hold within them a poignant reminder of our history, a monument to a not too distant time in the past when we were not yet a country, not yet a nation, and not yet a people. 

Yesterday evening, I called by the Kranji War Cemetery while the grounds were being prepared for a significant anniversary today. For 70 years ago on this very date, the fate of our island and her million inhabitants was cast into the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army. 70 years ago today marked the beginning of 3 years of terror, when the future seemed bleak and shattered lives seemed impossible to heal.

Today, as a Singaporean – living in a society, a country, a nation transformed by fate – we all need to be reminded that what we have today is not because we depended on others, but because we fought for it on our own. 

Our forefathers came with nothing, only to have even that nothing taken away by oppressive work conditions and to be weighed down by the hand of war. Yet, they persevered. Our veterans stepped out of their comfort zones to seize their fate into their own hands, to no longer labour under others but to build a free future for all. 

In a short half century since the days of uncertainty, Singapore has changed tremendously into a proud, independent, sovereign nation with an economy and standard of living that is the envy of others. But, lest we forget. It is built on the foundation of hard work and perseverance.  Each brick and mortar in our shining metropolis is mixed with the sweat and toil of our forefathers. We depended on no one but ourselves. 

We have our future because they were our past. As we all remember the Fall of Singapore 70 years ago today at 5.15pm, and let us treasure the rising of Singapore from the depths of gloom to the bright today! 

And as I drive past the memorial now, I will remember to say a little prayer for those whose sacrifice we recall and a thanksgiving for what we have today. Majulah Singapura!

 

**********************************************************************************************************************

 

 

February 15 – Why we serve…and remember

 

https://www.facebook.com/notes/tan-chuan-jin/february-15-why-we-serveand-remember/327659410610174

   Tan Chuan-Jin    February 15, 2012

***********************************************************************************************************************
 

 70 years ago, on the 15th of February 1942, Singapore surrendered to the Japanese. With this fall, our forefathers suffered 3 over years of brutality and hardship. 

My grandfather had been rounded up during the sook ching. He would probably have been executed if not for a local Japanese who had lived and worked in Singapore, and had identified my grandfather as he stood amongst the many awaiting their fate. As a young boy, my father remembered being traumatised with nightmares when he came across a dismembered body as a result of the bombings. 

I grew up, I read and learnt more about what happened. There was a sense of indignance and revulsion that we were subject to the whims and fancies of this occupying force. When you read history, you know that this same story repeats itself endlessly across the span of time and continents.  

We learnt many things from our experience during the Second World War. Foremost, is the realisation that we must ourselves defend Singapore…for no one else will. 

These days, it seems fashionable amongst some to mock our efforts. They like to stir the emotions by stating that we are all just protecting foreigner’s interest. They say why bother…what’s the point.    

Well, in Our Army, there is a song that we all sing during our route marches: 

“Training to be soldiers,

to fight for our land,

once in our lives,

two years of our time.

Have you ever wondered,

why must we serve,

cos we love our land,

and want it to be free, to be free. 

 

Looking all around us,

People everywhere,

Children having fun

while we are holding guns

Have you ever wondered,

why must we serve,

cos we love our land,

and want it to be free, to be free.”

 

We serve because this is where our family

and our loved ones are.

We serve because this is our home. 

We serve because it is our duty and responsibility

to protect and defend what is ours.

 

And to the thousands who died fighting for our freedom, we remember your ultimate sacrifice.  

 **********************************************************************************************************************

 

****************************************************************************************

 

Lessons from 70 years ago

 

http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120215-0000012/Lessons-from-70-years-ago?fb_ref=.TzsevEy6yW5.like&fb_source=home_oneline
by Gopinath Menon   Feb 15, 2012

*************************************************************************************************************************

The Chinese New Year has always been an auspicious occasion, but not 70 years ago. British Army commander Arthur Percival surrendered the colony of Singapore to the Imperial Japanese Army on Feb 15, 1942, the start of the Chinese New Year. The local population went through harrowing times for the next two-and-a-half years.

American satirist George Santayana once said that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Some lessons from that surrender are worth remembering.

It showed that we can get entangled unwittingly in someone else’s war. The seeds were planted when World War I started between feuding royal families of the old Europe.

The humiliating defeat of the Kaiser of Germany spawned Adolf Hitler, who orchestrated World War II. Imperial Japan seized this opportunity to expand its territories, and Singapore became a hapless victim.

Today, we are disinterested in news of troubles in faraway places because we believe that they have no bearing on our lives. Even minor events could spin out of control and involve us.

The surrender proves that benefit is no proof of friendship or injury a sure sign of enmity. The colony benefitted under the British Empire, but when the crunch came, the British forsook the friendship and left the colony to the mercy of the conquerors.

For all the talk of Singapore being impregnable, it proved nothing more than a bamboo fortress. It is a chilling reminder that Winston Churchill was prepared to spare no one, even the local civilian population, to uphold the Empire’s prestige.

Fortunately, this did not become necessary. At the same time, the Japanese conquerors injured us a lot, but Japan has today become one of our best friends. Permanent friends or enemies are rare. Every one works according to his own interests.

The surrender proved that fortune is fickle. At the turn of the 20th century, the European powers dominated Asia. It was claimed that the sun never set on the British Empire.

The fall of Singapore sounded the death knell for that Empire, which was dismantled within the next two decades. To their credit, the British saw the writing on the wall, packed up and left its colonies in a fairly orderly manner.

The less wise but weakened powers, the French and the Dutch, had to be expelled by force. We cannot always bank on fortune to smile at us.

So when we commemorate the 70th anniversary, let us resolve to be alert to possible threats and also to opportunities. The Boy Scouts’ motto says it all: Be prepared.

The writer is an engineering consultant.

************************************************************************************************************************