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WORLD NEWSMonday 10 August 2015
As it turns 50, Singapore celebrates success amid challenges
ANNABELLE LIANG are also grappling with a
Associated Press growing resentment over
SINGAPORE (AP) — Singa- political restrictions, an in-
pore threw a big party Sun- flux of foreign labor and a
day for its 50th anniversary rising cost of living.
of independence and un- “This is a milestone. Com-
rivaled economic success ing from an older genera-
in a region struggling with tion that has seen Singa-
poverty and political insta- pore through the early
bility, even as the city-state years of independence, I
began feeling the pinch of know it took hard work by
a midlife crisis. our leaders to get here,”
As fighter jets screamed said William Nathan, 70.
through the sky and na- The weekend of celebra-
tionalist songs blared, lead- tions culminated Sunday
ers made speeches and with a military parade and
people took advantage of a fireworks display. The
free rides on trains and bus- sense of unity and pride in
es. While marveling at the Singapore’s achievements
island’s leap from a poor was reinforced with a trib-
colonial port to a wealthy ute video dedicated to its
metropolis, Singaporeans founder and longest-serv-
Fireworks explode above Singapore’s financial skyline as part of celebrations for the nation’s
50th year of independence, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2015, in Singapore. Singapore declared
independence on August 9, 1965. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
ing leader, Lee Kuan Yew, expected to be held Sept. gapore can be held only
who died in March at age 12. The ruling People’s Ac-
91, after running a virtually tion Party, which holds 80 in a designated area, the
one-party state. of 87 parliamentary seats,
To Lee and his cohort of suffered its worst results in 0.97-hectare (2.4-acre)
leaders, setting Singapore 2011 elections.
on the path to economic Most of the mainstream Hong Lim Park. All other
success meant putting in media are controlled by
place tough policies to try government-linked com- gatherings require a police
to harmonize a racial mix panies, and the few inde-
of majority Chinese and pendent news websites permit.
minority Malays and Indi- that exist are wary of strict
ans. defamation laws that gov- “Robbing Singaporeans of
Lee, who was prime min- ernment leaders have of-
ister for more than three ten used to silence critics. freedom is like killing part
decades, had no toler- Reporters Without Borders’
ance for political dissent. 2015 World Press Freedom of the nation’s soul at any
Opposition figures were Index ranked Singapore
either defeated in elec- 153rd of 180 countries, be- time. Is there a price on
tions or taken to court on low Gambia and the Dem-
defamation charges until ocratic Republic of Congo. stealing a soul?” said senior
they were bankrupt. The The government’s recent
country’s laws prohibit moves to take a teenage research associate Bridget
bankrupts from contesting blogger to court and re-
elections. quire popular news sites to Welsh of National Taiwan
His son, current Prime Minis- obtain licenses were met
ter Lee Hsien Loong, is now with outrage from the on- University’s Center for East
steering Singapore with line community. But there
similar restrictions, and is were no street protests Asia Democratic Studies.
facing a general election — demonstrations in Sin-
“Singaporeans would
have made more progress
if there had been more
freedom, more ideas,
more voices to address the
country’s challenges,” she
said.
When the population
boomed to over 2 million
in the 1970s from 1.89 mil-
lion at independence, Lee
vigorously campaigned for
women to stop at two chil-
dren - fearing it would im-
pede economic growth.q
