🇸🇬 Singapore: Proclamation of Singapore (1965)

📜 Proclamation of Singapore - 1965

Here is the entire text of the declaration, verbatim from National Archives Singapore, with specific words and phrases highlighted for semiotic analysis below:

1️⃣ What was happening?

In 1945, the Allied forces, including colonial power Britain, declared victory over the Axis countries in Europe and Asia, officially ending the Second World War. The Allied powers, while victors, were exhausted and had their wealth and military ability severly depleted. Their main priority was to rebuild at home, meaning managing and ruling over their far flung colonies was not only structurally and organisationally impossible, it was also morally unjustified in a post-World War II world.

This led to a wave of decolonisation and the creation of several new sovereign states around the world. In Asia, after Indonesia and Vietnam self-declared their independence in 1945, the Philippines were the first to achieve independence from Spanish and American colonial rule in 1946, followed by India and (the newly formed nation of) Pakistan in 1947, Burma (now Myanmar) and Sri Lanka in 1948, Laos and Cambodia in 1953, and Malaya in 1957. Singapore became self-governing, but not fully independent, only in 1959.

In 1963, with the idea that a union of neighbouring former and current British colonies would be stronger together than separate, Singapore merged with the states of Malaya, Sabah, and Sarawak to form the new Federation of Malaysia. This, however, set of a spark of violence across the states, with the Singapore and central Malaysian governments disagreeing on trade, economic, political, and communal issues, particularly around the fact that Singapore was the only Chinese-majority state within the federation, unlike the neighbouring Malay-majority states.

Two years after their union, and two decades after the end of the Second World War, the Malaysian government voted to expel Singapore from Malaysia, creating the newest nation in the region (until Brunei in 1984).

2️⃣ Who wrote this and to whom?

The document was drafted by the then minister for law for Singapore E. W. Barker, and signed by Lee Kuan Yew, the first (and longest serving) prime minister of Singapore. Both men played pivotal roles in the founding of the nation state of Singapore, with Lee Kuan Yew’s prime minister-ship starting from before the creation of this document in 1959 and ending in 1990.

IMPLICATIONS

🫱🏼‍🫲🏽 TRUST: Then and Now

It’s worth noting that there is an equivalent of this document that exists on Malaysia’s side, however it’s outside the scope of this analysis.

It’s clear that this document, especially it’s physical state and short length, indicate that this was a hurried document put together to formalise what was already a foregone conclusion. The choice of words are deliberate to indicate both a loss of trust between the governments of Singapore and Malaysia, and a reassurance of trust between Lee Kuan Yew and the people of Singapore.

Reading the document, it’s clear that the language used is to indicate that Singapore was not getting a fair deal being part of Malaysia, including not having access to the common market, and was also being ostracised communally because of its majority-Chinese population. In turn, the document uses language to reassure fellow Singaporeans that with this newfound independence, Singapore will build a more equal society, and prosperity on Singapore’s own terms is worth the trauma of being abandoned and going it alone.

👑 POWER: Then and Now

The document helped to cement the uninterrupted rule of the People’s Action Party, the incumbent political party in Singapore, from 1965 till date. By the mid-1990s, Singapore’s GDP per capita had outstripped those in Western Europe, and had surpassed the United States by 2013.

Today, Singapore is considered to be one of the world’s wealthiest countries, a financial and startup hub, with one of the most stable political environments in the world, doubly so for a democracy.

While there have been criticisms of Singapore’s electoral system, including accusations of gerrymandering, short campaigning periods, and other unfair advantages to the incumbent, no opposition party has ever refused to accept the results of a general election.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

It’s 7th August 1965, and you are charged with drafting the Proclamation of Singapore following the news that the Malaysian government has voted to expel your country.

Tell me your reasoning. In next week’s issue, I’ll highlight the most thought-provoking responses.

LAST WEEK’S RESPONSES

First of all, many thanks to the person who shared this lengthy and thought out response to provide insight into the reality of the world at that time. And yes, they are right in calling out that my options for answers are more binary than perhaps comfortable.

Hindsight has helped us determine that often obvious clarity helps to let everyone know where we stand. Perhaps the bigger question is whether a differently worded declaration would have reduced or ended the cycle of violence.

NEXT WEEK ON SIGNPOST

Next week, to continue our August special on political independence declarations, we continue our tour through Southeast Asia and look at the Indonesian Declaration of Independence: how a two sentence document brought together over 17,000 islands under one banner.

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