The authoritarian rule of Lee Kuan Yew

From 1966 the People's Action Party (PAP) government under Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew embarked on a policy of making Singapore a tightly disciplined ‘garrison state’ on the Israeli model. Lee established a national army (with compulsory male military service), and extended the police force, the paramilitary bodies, and PAP community organizations. He brought the trade unions under PAP control, and legislated against political opposition. He also embarked on a large-scale public housing programme and developed the country's infrastructure, providing the foundations for economic growth.

One justification for the policy of strict regimentation and militarization was that Singapore, as a wealthy, largely Chinese city-state surrounded by a hostile Malay population, needed to protect itself; another was the need to achieve the political stability necessary for foreign investment; a third was the rundown of the British military presence announced in the British government's 1967 White Paper on defence. The PAP gained a monopoly of all parliamentary seats in the elections between 1968 and 1980.

After 1966, with the reopening of Indonesia to foreign investment, Singapore's servicing role in regional development was greatly enhanced. Under Lee's stewardship, Singapore developed rapidly as a commercial and financial entrepôt and as a centre for new export industries. The country's standard of living increased rapidly.

=> Gending Mahardika A.