Singapore turns 50, celebrates success amid challenges

Tourists sit in a capsule on the Singapore flyer observatory wheel overlooking the skyline of the central business district in Singapore July 16, 2015.

The Jubilee Weekend festivities, which started on Friday, will culminate with several major events today, including the broadcast of the late Lee Kuan Yew’s reading of Singapore’s Proclamation of Independence at 9am.

An island of 5.5 million folks that sits simply north of the equator, what was a post-colonial backwater at independence from Malaysia in 1965 is now a worldwide enterprise hub whose financial and social mannequin is the envy of countries all over the world.

During his visit on the country’s 50th National Day, Mr Hammond will underline the close friendship between the UK and Singapore, and recognise the crucial role of Singapore founding father Lee Kuan Yew who passed away earlier this year. From this base camp, we can also look forward to new peaks ahead. The journey forward is uncharted. “But we must press on, because we aspire to do better for ourselves and our children”.

The proclamation was read by an announcer over Radio Singapore though it was issued in Lee Kuan Yew’s name in 1965.

The ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) has been in power for more than 50 years and the opposition hopes to make more inroads in elections that could be called in September. All across the country, people clad in the national colours of red and white made their way to the 82 grassroots-led ceremonies.

The official logo for the celebration is a red dot, a symbol of pride and defiance since the 1990s when an Indonesian leader was reported to have referred to Singapore dismissively as “a little red dot” on the map. The picture, with “SG50” in white characters, is ubiquitous, adorning banners, buses, desserts and a number of products in outlets.

At Teck Ghee in Ang Mo Kio, the ward of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, flag-waving crowds also gathered, among them pupils of Townsville Primary School.

His get together suffered its worst displaying on the polls within the final parliamentary election in 2011 because of discontent over points from a widening wealth hole, sky-rocketing property costs and an inflow of overseas staff.

One student, Yang Jie Ling, told Reuters: “It’s only 50 years for a small nation like us, so we have achieved so much”.