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When Singapore becomes independent, the government had
to build Singapore from scratch too. Let see how unite is
how government to transform Singapore into a prosperous
country.
The industries
Why we need industries?
| Neighbouring
countries had developed their own ports so that
ships can come in directly. Singapore can no
longer depend on entrepot trade to survive. |
|
The British
government decided to withdraw the troop in
Singapore back. Thousands working in the military
bases will lose their jobs. |
What did the
government do?
In 1959, they were already small-scale business in
Singapore. There were also factories producing tiles,
biscuits etc.
- In 1961, the economic development board was set
up. Its job was to attracts foreign companies
coming to Singapore and to find out what kind of
industry Singapore should set up.
- The national trade congress and arbitration
courts were set up to promote industries peace.
- During the 1960s the government build roads and
factory building.
- Electricity and water were supplied to the
industrial estates.
- The government also lent money to local
businessman who wanted to start business.
- The government also exempted some new industrial
companies from taxes.
Development of
new industrial estate
The story of Jurong
Jurong used to be a big wasteland of jungles and
swamps.
| Jungles were
flattened and swamps were reclaimed. The
government spent large sum of money to build
roads and railways. |
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Electricity and
water are necessary for industrial purposes. So
the government build power stations and reservoir
to provide water and electricity. |
The first factory set up there was the national
iron and steel mill, which was built in 1963. |
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National Iron and Steel Mills
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| Jurong also have its
own port. It is well facilitated to handle all
kinds of ships. These ships brought in various
goods from all over the world. |
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The facilities in
Jurong attracted many foreign investors. They
built factories here producing all kinds of
goods. They solved the unemployment problem. |
By 1983, Jurong had already grown into an industrial
complex. It was one of the largest industrial estates in
Asia.
The lives of
Singaporean.
Housing was also another problem. The government tried
to improve the lives of the people by providing better
housing school and medical services.
Public housing
Housing Plan
After the Japanese occupation, the population rises.
There were not enough houses. Living condition was poor
and it was the government duties to remedy the situation.
The government set up the housing and development board
(HDB) in 1960.The HDB built many one room flat and later
bigger flat. These flats are rented out at affordable
prices. In 1964, the home ownership scheme enables people
to buy their own flats instead of renting
Education
Schooling
When PAP came into power in 1959, it made great
improvement. More schools were built. In mid-1960 all
Singapore children enjoys free education. When Singapore
was under biotech, the British stress a lot on the
English education.
| When PAP was in
charge, it gives a fair treatment to all the four
streams. It also employed more qualified teachers
to teach. Regardless of the language the teacher
taught they receive training and equal salary. |
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In 1951, learning
the second language was introduced. However it
was not compulsory. The government felt that
English was important, as it was the language
that allowed the different races to communicate.
The study of second language helps to keep the
culture alive. |
Medical
services
| The government put
in a lot of efforts to improve and enlarge
existing hospital. Tan Tock Seng hospital and
Singapore general hospitals were enlarged to
enable them to take care of more serious
diseases. |
|
The government also
set up ploy clinic to provide the public medical
services at affordable prices. School children
also had regular health and dental check up. |
Defense
| After independence,
the defense ministry was set up. Defense was an
important issue. In 1966, the Singapore armed
forces training institute was set up to train
officers. |
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National Service
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- In 1967, national services were made compulsory
for all men at the age of 18. The building up of
army becomes an important issue when the British
removed their army from Singapore.
- The plan the government decided to teach all male
citizens to defend the nation. All males at the
age of 18 had to join the national service for
2-2.5 years.
- The soldiers would be trained in various warfare.
Upon finishing the course, the men become
reservists. They would receive regular training
to keep fit. The Singapore armed forces also
employed permanent soldiers.
The challenge
It was not easy to convince all the citizen about
national services. To make people accepted it, the
government tried to arouse their awareness to the need of
defense. As Singapore lacked experience, foreign military
experts were invited to teach.
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