Singapore celebrates 50th anniversary

In Singapore he visited an industrial park and conferred with Lee Kuan Yew, then the city-state’s prime minister. Similarly, by instilling an ethos of pride among its civil servants and, more importantly, rewarding them with pay and benefits roughly equivalent to those in the private sector, Mr. Lee created an honest civil service dedicated to building the new nation rather than one that lined its own pockets.

The national day celebrations are a good example of this co-operation between the spiritual and the material, as an observer of last week’s dress rehearsal said: “Of course we know it’s a hugely expensive exercise in self-promotion, but we absolutely love it: it’s our national day!” As a 12-year-old, I was aware of the significance of Malaysia gaining a new neighbour and of our two countries settling our boundaries – both to continue independently on the adventure of independence, with all the opportunities and perils that developing nations faced in the 1960s.

Fifty years ago today, Singapore became an independent state.

“It is a real challenge, even in affluent Singapore… we have had cases where middle-class Singaporeans have been self-radicalised”, he said.

But Singapore’s anniversary celebration was still grand.

At the Padang celebrations a large part will be dedicated to the theme of “one united people of Singapore, regardless of race, religious background and language”.

Yet, ironically, the outpouring of national grief that welled to the surface following his passing in March did more than anything else to remind Singaporeans what this year-long jubilee jamboree was all about. “And a spirit of wanting to help and care for others when they are in need”, he wrote, adding that “it is the Singapore spirit that makes this home”.

However, Eugene Tan, an associate law professor at the Singapore Management University, said the government would be unwise to count too heavily on the boost the celebrations may provide.

He spoke at the Victoria Concert Hall, where his father launched the People’s Action Party in 1954.

“We didn’t have the British. We have proven that together, we are greater than the sum of our parts”.

I am pleased with the results of our closer relations, and look forward to achieving more. “It gave us courage and hope”.

To Lee and his cohort of leaders, setting Singapore on the trail to financial success meant setting up robust insurance policies to attempt to harmonize a racial mixture of majority Chinese language and minority Malays and Indians. Today, no more tears are shed, nor is there shock or grave fears aroused, at the thought that “Singapore is out”, because, put simply, Singapore is in.