Singapore
Republic of Singapore 新加坡共和国 | |
|---|---|
| Motto: Majulah Singapura (English: Onward, Singapore) | |
| Anthem: Majulah Singapura | |
 | |
| Capital and largest city | Singapore |
| Official languages | English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay, Tamil |
| Government | Westminster (de jure) Dominant-party (de facto) |
| Independence | |
• Water (%) | 1.444 |
| Population | |
• 2004 estimate | 4,608,595 (114th) |
• — census | — |
| GDP (PPP) | 2003 estimate |
• Total | $112 billion (56th) |
• Per capita | $25,200 (25th) |
| Currency | Singapore Dollar (SGD) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (Singapore Standard Time) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+8 (Not observed) |
| Calling code | 65 1 |
| ISO 3166 code | SG |
| Internet TLD | .sg |
1 02 when dialling from Malaysia | |
The Republic of Singapore (Chinese: 新加坡共和国; pinyin: Xīnjiāpō Gònghéguó; Malay: Republik Singapura; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் குடியரசு, Cingkappūr Kudiyarasu), is an island city-state in southeast Asia, located at latitude 1°17'35"N longitude 103°51'20"E and situated on the southern tip of Malay Peninsula, south of the state of Johor of Peninsular Malaysia and north of the Indonesian islands of Riau.
Established as a trading port by the British in the early 19th century, Singapore became a centre of British influence in Southeast Asia. Upon achieving independence from Malaysia in 1965, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew advanced Singapore from a third world to first world nation. Singapore is known for its lack of corruption compared to most other Southeast Asian governments, and for being one of the East Asian Tigers. Singapore has one of the highest per capita gross domestic products in the world; in addition, it maintains strict laws and punishments covering even minor offenses such as littering — it has one of the highest execution rates in the world relative to population.
In spite of practices, such as the ban of imports of chewing gum, that have led some to label it a "nanny state", Singapore is a popular tourist destination in Southeast Asia. National service is mandatory, and Singapore maintains as many as 225,000 operationally ready National Servicemen even though it has never been engaged in military conflict. They have one of the most advanced air force in the whole of Southeast Asia. However, Singapore has had a thorny relationship with its northern neighbour Malaysia, with disagreements over issues such as the sale of water and land reclamation activities violating maritime boundaries.
History
Main article: History of Singapore
The first recorded mention of Singapore is in Chinese texts dating back from the 3rd century. The island served as an outpost of the Sumatran Srivijaya empire and was originally given the Javanese name Temasek. Temasek rose to become a significant trading city in its heyday, but later declined in significance. Little is to be found of old Temasek in Singapore other than archaeological evidence.
The current name of the city derives from the Sanskrit Singapura (Lion City); this name became common by the late 14th century. The Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals) contains a tale of a prince of Srivijaya, Sri Tri Buana (also known as Sang Nila Utama), who landed on the island sometime during the 13th century. Catching sight of a strange creature that he thought was a lion, he decided to found a settlement called Singapura, which means "Lion City" in Sanskrit.
The 15th and 16th century Sultanate of Johore included Singapore. During the Malay-Portugal wars, Singapura was burned down by Portugese forces in 1617. Although the city was officially abandoned, the island remained inhabited by small bands of fishermen and pirates.
In 1819, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, an official with the British East India Company, established Singapore as a trade post and settlement, having made a treaty with the Sultan of Johor, then the effective ruler of the island of Singapore. After some conflict over the territory between the Dutch and the British, the Dutch withdrew objections to the UK's founding of Singapore as a trade city in Southeast Asia in August 1824. After undergoing a number of territorial incarnations, Singapore was made a crown colony in 1867.
Singapore prospered as a trading port. Entrepot trade grew, aided by Singapore's strategic location at an important trade route along the Straits of Malacca. It would become later one of the busiest shipping routes in the world. However, the British continued to treat the Asian immigrants as second class. This caused the immigrants' to be resented, and would later be one of the factors that would push people to seek independence after the Japanese invasion.
During World War II, Japanese forces overwhelmed Malaya and the surrounding region. The British and Allied forces were forced to retreat towards the supposedly "impregnable fortress" of Singapore with the Japanese in pursuit.
Despite having numerical superiority, the British and Allied troops were demoralised and unprepared, both tactically and in terms of weaponry. Poor co-ordination led the Japanese to enjoy successful raids on the Royal Air Force base in Singapore and the destruction of the two battleships defending Singapore, the Prince of Wales and the Repulse.
The Japanese landed in Singapore on February 7, 1942. On February 15, 1942, Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, commander of British forces in Singapore surrendered to the Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita. Singapore's name became Syonan (Light of the South). The Japanese held Singapore until September 1945, after a month of anomy in the wake of the Japanese surrender.
Singapore became a self-governing crown colony in 1959. Between 1963 and 1965, Singapore joined Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak as part of the Federation of Malaysia, with Lee Kuan Yew of the People's Action Party (PAP) at the Singaporean government's head. During the years of merger, racial tensions had grown within Singapore, culminating in numerous riots and curfews, notably the notorious clash that took place on Prophet Mohammed's birthday, between the Malay and Chinese races.
The Federal Government of Malaysia, dominated by the United Malays National Organisation, feared that as long as Singapore remained in the Federation, the bumiputra policy of positive racial discrimination to the Malays would be undermined and therefore not in the interest of their pro-Malay agenda. One of the major causes of this fear was that the PAP kept calling out for a "Malaysian Malaysia" - the fair and equal treatment of all races. A second cause also includes the very real possibility that the economic dominance of Singapore's port might inevitably shift political power away from Kuala Lumpur later on, should Singapore remain.
The rivalry between the PAP and the Federal Government, especially with the participation of both sides in each other's government elections, escalated greatly to such intensity that talks soon broke down. Singapore was expelled from Malaysia on 7th August, 1965, gaining official sovereignty two days later on August 9 with Lee Kuan Yew as its first Prime Minister. Among the problems the fledgling nation faced included mass unemployment, housing problems, lack of natural resources and land. This led to the infamous statement that "Singapore would never make it" by many media sources around the world.
Singapore was forced to rapidly form its own armed forces as Britain withdrew troops from Singapore in October 1971. In Lee Kuan Yew's memoirs, he wrote of his feelings of insecurity regarding the country's safety, and that it was "a Chinese island in a Malay sea", referring to Singapore's position at the tip of Malaysia. He also lamented the partial loss of the Malaysian hinterland.
Lee Kuan Yew's reign as Prime Minister lasted from 1959 to 1990. Throughout his term as Prime Minister, he became famous for successfully raising Singapore from poverty, and overcoming Singapore's lack of housing and economic resources as a third world nation to become one of first world status, proving many predictions wrong.
His successor, Goh Chok Tong, took office as the second Prime Minister, while Lee Kuan Yew became Senior Minister. Goh Chok Tong was faced with the problems of sustaining Singapore's growth and further promoting it as a business hub. He also saw the country through crises such as the 1997 Asian economic crisis and SARS in 2003.
On August 12, 2004, Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, took over as the third Prime Minister of Singapore. In turn, Goh Chok Tong became Senior Minister while Lee Kuan Yew took on the newly created portfolio of Minister Mentor.
Geography
Main article: Geography of Singapore
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Singapore's main territory is a diamond-shaped island with her surrounding smaller islands. There are two connections from Singapore to the state of Johor, Malaysia; they can be seen as important connections to a former hinterland. One is a man-made causeway to the north, crossing the Tebrau Straits. There is also a bridge (Tuas Second Link) in the western part of Singapore connecting to Johor.
Of Singapore's dozens of smaller islands, Jurong Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa are the larger ones. The highest point of Singapore is Bukit Timah, with a height of 164m or 538 feet.
Urban area used to exist solely at the southern mouth of the Singapore River, while the rest of the land was primary forest or used for agriculture. However, from the 1960's, these areas were developed for housing and towns, such that nearly 100% of Singapore is now urban. In addition, Singapore has reclaimed land with earth obtained from its own hills, the seabed, and neighbouring countries. As a result, Singapore's land area grew from 581.5km² in the 1960s to 697.1km² today, and may grow by another 100km² by 2030.
Since Singapore lacks natural freshwater rivers and lakes, the primary source of domestic water is rainfall, caught in reservoirs or catchment areas. Even though the climate generally gives Singapore abundant rainfall, it is falls short of consumption by 50%, so it imports the remaining needed amount from Malaysia. More catchment and recycled water or desalination facilities have been or are being built, to reduce reliance on foreign supply.
In late 2004, several parts of Asia and Africa were struck by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and the resulting tsunami. Because the Sumatra landmass, absorbed much of the shock, the effect on Singapore was minor. However, a few Singaporeans were killed as overseas tourists, and more missing.
Climate
Singapore's climate is tropical ("tropical rainforest climate" under the Köppen climate classification), with no distinct seasons. Its climate is characterised by uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity and abundant rainfall. On cooler days, the temperature can be as low as 23ºC or as high as 34ºC on average. On average, the relative humidity is around 90% in the morning, to 60% in the afternoon. During prolonged heavy rain, relative humidity often reaches 100%.
Generally, there is much more rainfall on the western side of the island then on the eastern portion of Singapore, due to a rain shadow effect, and thus eastern Singapore side is much more dryer and slightly hotter than western Singapore.
Further contrasts that prevents true all-year uniformity are the monsoon seasons which happen twice each year. The first one is the Northeast Monsoon which occurs from December to early March. The second is the Southwest Monsoon season which occurs from June to September. Periods between monsoon seasons receive less rain and wind.
During the monsoon seasons, winds can reach speeds of 40 km/h. During the Northeast Monsoon, northeast winds prevail, whereas during the Southeast Monsoon season, southeast/southwest winds prevail. Monsoons generally mean cloudy skies and more rain than usual, often with continous thunderstorms lasting days. However, there exist differences in weather patterns between the monsoons.
Politics
Main article: Politics of Singapore
Singapore has a Westminster-style constitution. There is an elected figurehead president, who has veto powers in a few key decisions - such as the use of the national reserves and the appointment of key judiciary positions. True executive power rests with the prime minister who leads the majority party in the elected Parliament.
In practice, politics is dominated by the People's Action Party which has ruled since Independence. Over the years the PAP has been accused of taking overly harsh actions against opposition parties to discourage and impede their success, such as gerrymandering (redrawing electoral districts to one's own favour). Since most people are supportive or apathetic regarding PAP policies, the opposition parties are stereotypically associated with the truly political passionate. There are also several cases of government leaders taking out civil suits against the opposition for libel or slander. J. B. Jeyaretnam, leader of the opposition Workers' Party of Singapore, was brought down by a series of suits from the ruling party and declared bankrupt in 2001, disbarring and preventing him from taking part in future elections.
Critics point out that in any case brought before the Singaporean courts involving the PAP or the Singapore Government, judges have always ruled in their favour, although a few instances of successful opposition suits have been recorded. Western democracies consider the mode of government in Singapore to be closer to authoritarianism than true democracy. A common pejorative name for this state of affairs is "benign dictatorship".
Despite this, Singapore has what many consider to be a highly successful and transparent market economy. Singapore was originally known as a social democracy, but the PAP has consistently rejected the notion of being socialist. One difference from a social democracy could be the sense that it uses public opinion and feedback to make policies instead of rigorous lawmaking procedures. However, the PAP's policies contain certain hallmarks of socialism, which includes government owned public housing constituting the majority of real estate and the dominance of government owned and controlled companies in the local economy.
The PAP has also consistently rejected Western democratic values in the past, with former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew citing incompatibilities with "Asian values". Most recently, the PAP has promulgated the loosening of social conservative policies and policies to promote enterpreneurship but the effects of both efforts have not been completely manifested.
The existence of a system of government that differs markedly from Western multi-party democracy has led many to point to Singapore as a model for the future development of their nations. In particular, the political system of Singapore has been often mentioned by some officials within the People's Republic of China as a model for the future of the Communist Party of China, and there has been heated debate both inside and outside the PRC as to whether or not this is desirable or even possible in a territory that is much larger and more diverse than a city-state.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Singapore
Apart from the much smaller Monaco, Singapore is the most densely populated independent country in the world. 84% of Singaporeans live in public housing provided by the Housing and Development Board (HDB). 1
Singapore's population is diverse compared to most other countries, although neighbour Malaysia also features a multiracial population. The Chinese, who constituted the majority of the island population since the colonial days, account for 76.8% of Singaporeans. Malay, who are the indigenous native group of the country, constitute 13.9%, though this number includes many Malay ethnic groups from other parts of the Malay archipelago including the Javanese, Bugis, Baweans and Minangs. Indians are the second largest minority ethnic group at 7.9% which consist of several groups — Tamils, who form the largest Indian group and others such as Malayalees, Punjabis and Bengalis. The rest are made up of smaller groups such as Arab Singaporeans and Eurasian Singaporeans.
The government of Singapore has been careful to maintain ethnic harmony after racial riots erupted in the 1960s. Racial harmony has been emphasized in all aspects of society, including education, military and housing. So far the policy has been successful, and there has been no signs of ethnic unrest since the early 1970s. Issues exist such as bans on fundamentalist evangelical Christian activities and the Islamic headscarf in public schools (without a reciprocal ban on other religious symbols).
The official languages of Singapore are English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay and Tamil. English has been promoted as the country's lingua franca since independence, and it is spoken by the majority of the population. Malay remains Singapore's national language for historical reasons and it is used in the national anthem. To promote Chinese culture and the use of Mandarin, the government has introduced a "Speak Mandarin Campaign".
Culture
Main article: Culture of Singapore
As Singapore is a small and relatively modern amalgam of semi-indigenous Malay population with the majority Chinese and the minority Indian and Arab migrants, and there is little intermarriage, there appears little in the way of specifically Singaporean culture. However, there exists a community of Peranakan or "Straits Chinese", of mixed Chinese and Malay descent and a steadily increasing Eurasian community. The major public holidays in Singapore reflect this diversity, including the religious holidays of various denominations.
Officially, the English used is modelled on British English (spelling and grammar), with some American English influences. The local colloquial dialect of English is known formally as Singapore Colloquial English (though it is more commonly called "Singlish"), and has many creole-like characteristics, having incorporated much vocabulary and grammar from various dialects of Chinese, Malay, and Indian languages. Singlish is basically identical to Manglish (the English dialect of Malaysia), and is the usual language on the streets, but is frowned upon in official contexts, and this matter has been brought up in recent years in the Parliament and the ruling party.
Singapore also has several ethnic neighborhoods, including a "Little India" and a "Chinatown", formed by the Raffles Plan of Singapore to segregate the new immigrants into specific areas. Although the population are no longer segregated in distribution mainly due to the policies of the HDB now, these ethnic neighbourhoods retain selective elements of their specific culture. The usage of such neighbourhoods is mostly commercial or for a cottage industry specific to the culture of its ethnic neighbourhood, and does not play a big part in housing the population, although it is used for that purpose. Hence, these neighbourhoods have a diverse patronage who probably wish to either eat or buy something specific to that culture.
In other parts of the country, segregation is discouraged, and diversity is encouraged. This can often be found in the policies of the HDB, which try to make sure there is a lively mix of all races within each housing district; the effect of this can be observed in all parts of the country as for example, a store devoted to selling Malay food might be right next to stores selling Chinese or Indian goods. This, in return, helps to foster social cohesion and national loyalty, which are crucial for sustaining Singapore's growth.
Tourism
Main article: Tourism in Singapore
Singapore has become noted among international travellers as an exciting travel destination. Its cultural diversity reflects its rich colonial history and Malay, Chinese, Arab and Indian ethnicities. For many years considered to be the business hub of Southeast Asia, Singapore has an expansive shopping precinct located in the Orchard Road district. Filled with several multistorey shopping centres, the area also has many hotels, and is regarded by many as the tourism centre of Singapore.
Another popular tourist attraction in Singapore is the Singapore Zoo and its Night Safari, which allows people to explore Asian, African and South American habitats at night, without any visible barriers between guests and the wild animals. The Singapore Zoo has embraced the 'open zoo' concept whereby animals are kept in enclosures, separated from visitors by hidden dry or wet moats, instead of caging the animals. Also famous is the Jurong Bird Park, wherein there are specimens of magnificent bird life from around the world, including a flock of one thousand flamingos.
Religion
Main article: Religion in Singapore
Singapore is generally a multi-religious country, mainly due to its strategic location and the variety of religious beliefs that most Singaporeans hold. More than 40% of the Singaporeans adhere to Mahayana Buddhism, the main faith of the Chinese population of Singapore, who constituted around 77% of the country's population.
Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and ancestral worship are merged into one by most Chinese adherents to Buddhism. Most Muslims are Malay, but a few Indian Muslims exist.
Religious tolerance has been strongly encouraged since the British colonised Singapore; South Bridge Street, which was a major road through the old Chinatown, served as home to the Sri Mariamman Temple (a south Indian Hindu temple that was declared a national history site in the 1980s), as well as the Masjid Jamae Mosque that served Chulia Muslims from India's Coromandel Coast.
Among other religious landmarks is the Armenian Church of Gregory the Illuminator, the oldest church in Singapore, which was completed in 1836. It was also the first building in Singapore to have electricity, when electric fans and lights were installed. However, as of 2005, the church no longer holds Armenian services, as the last Armenian priest retired in the 1930s. Regardless, the church and its grounds have been carefully preserved, and Orthodox Church services are still held in it.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Singapore
As one of the East Asian Tigers, Singapore enjoys a highly developed and successful free-market economy, characterised by a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and one of the highest per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in the world. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in electronics and manufacturing, and was hard hit in 2001 by the global recession and the slump in the technology sector, which caused the GDP that year to contract by 2.2%. The economy has since recovered in response to improvements in the world economy, and grew by 8.4% in 2004. In the longer term the government hopes to establish a new growth path that will be less vulnerable to the external business cycle than the current export-led model, but is unlikely to abandon efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub.
The per capita GDP in 2003 was US$22,366. In the third quarter of 2004, the unemployment rate was 3.4%.
The Economic Review Committee (ERC), set up in December 2001, made key recommendations to remake Singapore into:
- a globalised economy where Singapore is the key node in the global network, linked to all the major economies;
- a creative and entrepreneurial nation willing to take risks to create fresh businesses and blaze new paths to success; and
- a diversified economy powered by the twin engines of manufacturing and services, where vibrant Singapore companies complement MNCs, and new startups co-exist with traditional businesses exploiting new and innovative ideas.
Foreign relations
Main article: Foreign relations of Singapore
Singapore is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, the United Nations and the Commonwealth of Nations. As part of its role in the United Nations, it occupied a rotational seat on the UN Security Council from 2001-2002. Singapore has participated in UN peacekeeping/observer missions in Kuwait, Angola, Namibia, Cambodia, and East Timor. Singapore supports the concept of Southeast Asian regionalism and plays an active role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
Singapore is currently involved in disputes with Malaysia over:
- deliveries of fresh water to Singapore
- land reclamation works on Singapore territories in the Johor Straits
- maritime boundaries
- the Singapore-occupied islet known as Pedra Branca in Singapore and as Pulau Batu Putih (White Rock island) in Malaysia, located 20 nautical miles (37 km) off the east coast of Singapore, with a land area of 2,000 m². Singapore and Malaysia have agreed to International Court of Justice arbitration on the dispute within three years.
Military
Main article: Singapore Armed Forces
Singapore relies primarily on its own armed forces, which are continuously being modernised. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) was formed after British troops left Singapore in December 1971. The defence budget accounts for approximately 28 percent of government operating expenditures (around five percent of Singapore's gross domestic product). A career military force of 20,000 is supplemented by 55,000 men on a two-year conscript service, also known as "National Service". Conscript service is compulsory for all able-bodied young men who have reached 18 years of age and do not have a deferment for educational reasons. Another 225,000 operationally-ready National Servicemen who have completed their conscript service are placed on a 13-year stand-by period. operationally-ready National Servicemen are liable for up to 40 days of active duty every year. The SAF engages in regular joint training with all of the nations in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and with the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and India.
Transportation
Main article: Transportation in Singapore
Singapore is linked to Johor, Malaysia via a causeway and bridge, as well as a railway line operated by the KTMB of Malaysia. The Singapore Changi Airport, comprising two terminals and one of the most important air hubs in the region, is situated at the eastern most tip of the main island, and serves 167 cities in 53 countries. When construction of the third terminal is completed in 2006, Changi will be capable of handling 64 million passengers every year.2
Within Singapore, there is a well-developed system of expressways and public transport roads. Prominent expressways include the Pan Island Expressway (PIE), the Central Expressway (CTE), the East Coast Parkway (ECP).
In addition, Singapore has a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Light Rapid Transit (LRT) train system consisting of five lines. There is also a well-worked system of bus routes throughout the island, most of which have air conditioning due to Singapore's yearlong sweltering heat. Buses without air conditioning will be gradually phased out. A contactless smartcard (EZ-link) is used to pay bus and subway fares.
The Port of Singapore, run by port operators PSA International (formerly the Port of Singapore Authority) and Jurong Port, is the world's busiest in terms of shipping tonnage handled. 1.04 billion gross tons (GT) were handled in the year 2004, crossing the one billion mark for the first time in Singapore’s maritime history. Singapore also emerged as the top port in terms of cargo tonnage handled with 393 million tonnes of cargo in the same year, pipping the port in Rotterdam for the first time in the process.
Singapore is ranked second globally in terms of containerised traffic, with 21.3 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) handled in 2004., and retains her position as the World's busiest hub for transhipment traffic. She is also the world's biggest bunkering hub, with 23.6 million tonnes sold in 2004.
Communications
Main article: Communications in Singapore
Singapore's telecommunication infrastructure is highly advanced. As of 1998, there were almost 55 million phone lines in Singapore, close to 47 million of which also served other telecommunication devices like computers and facsimile machines. Underwater telephone cables have been laid that lead to Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia.
As of November 2004, there are three cellular phone operators in Singapore serving almost four million cellular phones. As for internet facilities, as of 1999, there were eight internet service providers (ISPs) in Singapore. By November 2004, there were almost 500,000 broadband customers in Singapore. Howevever, due to the small market and possible market collusion, there have been rising concerns that various ISPs' telecommunication infrastructures being highly under-utilised.
Radio and television stations are all government-owned entities. All seven television channels are owned by MediaCorp; its only other competitor, SPH Mediaworks closed its television channel on January 1, 2005. Due to the proximity of Singapore to Malaysia, most televisions in Singapore can pick up television signals from Malaysia. Private ownership of satellite dishes is banned, but most households have access to the StarHub cable TV network. As of 1997, there were 1.3 million televisions in Singapore.
All radio stations are operated either by MediaCorp, the Singapore Armed Forces Reservist Association (SAFRA) or UnionWorks. As of 1997, there were 2.5 million radios in Singapore.
The print media is dominated by Singapore Press Holdings which publishes The Straits Times. Daily newspapers are published in English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil.
Education
Main article: Education in Singapore
The education system in Singapore is run the Ministry of Education (MOE), which formulates and implements education policy. It plays a consultancy and supervisory role to private or independent schools in addition to running public schools. Children with disabilities are educated in special education (SPED) schools run by voluntary welfare organisations that are partially funded by the MOE. The Compulsory Education Act, which took effect in January 2003, provided for mandatory school enrollment and attendence for students between the ages of six and 15. Homeschooling is permitted.
English is the language of instruction in the subjects of mathematics and the hard sciences. As envisioned by Lee Kuan Yew, English is the language to link the numerous races in Singapore, as well as the language that joins Singapore to the world. The mother tongue (in other words, Chinese for the Ethnic Chinese; Malay for the Malays; Tamil,Malayalam Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi or Urdu for the Indians), on the other hand is required learning so students may gain a sense of their racial identity and culture. No ethnic group is forced to learn the language of another.
There are 5 polytechnics: Republic Polytechnic (RP),Singapore Polytechnic (SP), Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP), Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), Temasek Polytechnic (TP).
Several libraries are operated by the National Library Board; although there used to be a National Reference Library, it was closed on April 1, 2004; the library's collection has since been housed at the Jurong Regional Library. There are three Regional Libraries in Singapore, which keep more material than the more common Community and Community Children's Libraries. All these libraries share one centralised computerised system, and work in conjunction with each other.
Laws
Main article: Laws of Singapore
Laws in Singapore are generally strict and aimed at instilling a self-disciplined society with restrictions and harsh punishments, for example caning and execution. Even the idea has been poked fun at by its citizens by using the saying "Singapore is a fine country", where "fine" actually refers to a monetary fine.
Currently, pornography, oral sex (except as a precursor to regular intercourse), and anal sex are illegal in Singapore. Magazines, movies and TV shows have to undergo government censorship before being released to the general public and sales of several kinds of newspapers and magazines has been banned or restricted. Various minor offences could lead to heavy fines and caning while conviction of first-degree murder and drug trafficking cases instantly leads to the death penalty. The end result of these policies has been the hanging of more than 400 people in Singapore between 1991 and 2004, mostly for drug trafficking; due to this, Singapore has one of the highest execution rates in the world relative to population.
An American teenager, Michael Fay, aroused passionate media interest from the United States and sparked an official US protest after he was caught vandalising Singaporean cars in 1994. There was a formal request by the American government not to carry out the sentence, which was caning. Former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew called American practices "soft" and denied the appeal, although the number of strokes given was lessened. Fay was caned and interest in the incident has fallen since. However, Fay continued to commit a string of offences after he returned to the United States.
References
- "Nation's History". Singapore Infomap. 11 Jan, 2004.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - "Census 2000". Singapore Department of Statistics. 11 Jan, 2004.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help)1 - "Key Facts & Figures". Ministry of Transport, Singapore. 11 Jan, 2004.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help)2 - "Journey to Singapore's Yesteryears - Historical Landmarks - Armenian Church". Victoria School IT Club. 26 Jan, 2004.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - "National Library Board Singapore: Branches & Hours". National Library Board Singapore. 26 Jan, 2004.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Template:Book reference 3
- This article incorporates public domain text from the websites of Singapore Department of Statistics, United States Department of State, the United States Library of Congress & CIA World Factbook (2004).
See also
- Singapore Changi Airport
- Singapore Army
- Republic of Singapore Air Force
- Republic of Singapore Navy
- Singapore Police Force
External links
- The Singapore Wiki
- Singapore Government Online Portal
- The Singapore Infomap
- CIA World Factbook Entry for Singapore
- Sights Of Singapore
- Singapore Guide
- Singapore travel guide at Wikitravel
- Singapore Hotels
- Guide to Housing & Accommodation in Singapore
