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Parliament system is how Singapore is governed now.
Members of the Parliament are elected by the public. Each
Parliament lasted for five years. In 1800s, Singapore was
under the rule of the British India, And later the
Colonial Office.
British India
Rule To Colonial Office
Singapore, with Penang and Malaka, formed the Straits Settlements in 1826. A
Governor was in charge of the Straits Settlements. The
East India Company (E.I.C.), gave order to the
Governor-General in India on how to rule the place and
the Governor-General in turn, gave order to the Governor
in charge of the Straits Settlements.
- In 1858, E.I.C.’s rule came to an end. The
British Government gave orders directly to the
Governor-General in London. This did not affect
Singapore much as Singapore was still under the
Governor-General.
- The European merchants sent petitions to London
to ask the British Government to let the Straits
Settlements come directly under the rule of the
British Government because the Governor-General
did not rule the Straits Settlements properly.
- In 1867, Straits Settlement came under the
control of the British Colonial Office. From then
onwards, Straits Settlements became a Crown
Colony.
System
Of Government
Executive Council
- Members helped the Governor to run the government
and to ensure that the activities ran smoothly.
Legislative Council
| Members helped to
make new laws. The members were divided into two
types: officials and non-officials. |
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Members of the Legislative
Council
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What
Improvements Did The Colonial Office Make?
| The British
officials that were sent by the Colonial Office
were better than those sent by the government in
India. They received special training and could
speak Malay and local dialects. |
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They also made sure
activities such as law and order, collecting
taxes, roads’ constructions and others went
smoothly. The non-officials also contributed to
the development of Singapore. |
How Did the
Non-Officials Contribute to Singapore?
| Dr Lim Boon Keng
asked the Legislative Council to pass a law to
control the increasing rents of houses. |
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Dr. Lim Boon Keng
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| Eunos Abdullah
requested the government to improve the living
conditions of the Malays. So a large piece of
Land was reserved for the Malays. A trade school
was setup to teach the Malay boys skills of
crafts. Cheap housing and farming land were also
available. |
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Eunos Abdullah
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