2. How Singapore Got Its Name

The official story goes like this - a long, long time ago, Singapore was known as Temasek. One day, Sang Nila Utama, a prince from Palembang (an ancient Indonesian city), sailed to the island of Temasek. He saw a strange animal and he asked his assistant what animal it was. His assistant told him it was a “singa”, a Malay word which means a lion. Sang Nila Utama renamed the island as “Singapura” which means “lion city”.

Although I respect the official story, I believe there is a serious problem with it. No lions or trace of lions have been found in Singapore. When the British occupied Singapore, many tigers were hunted down so that the people of Singapore could live safe. Hence, Sang Nila Utama would probably have seen a tiger in Singapore rather than a lion. Should Singapore’s name be changed from “Singapura” to “Harimaupura”*?

*“Harimau” means “Tiger” in Malay

3. Singapore’s History

In 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles founded Singapore. Disappointing the Dutch, the British set up a trading settlement on the island. Under British administration, Singapore became prosperous and the centre of trade in the region. Chinese and Indians came to Singapore to work in large numbers. By 1900, the population of Singapore swelled to over 200 000.

In 1942, Singapore fell to the Japanese. For a period of 3 years, Singapore was no longer Singapore but Syonanto which means “Light of the South Island” in Japanese. This was the darkest period of Singapore’s history where the people suffered from torture and hunger. In 1945, the Japanese surrendered not long after after the atomic bombs fell on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

The Japanese Occupation was a turning point in Singapore’s history. The experience showed the people of Singapore that Singapore could not be taken care of by the colonial powers. The shared experience of the people gelled them together and caused the people to demand for self-government. In 1955, Singapore was allowed partial internal self-rule and David Marshall became the first Chief Minister of Singapore. In 1959, when Singapore was granted full internal self-government, the People’s Action Party won 43 of the 51 seats. Lee Kuan Yew became the first Prime Minister of Singapore and Yusof bin Ishak became the first President of Singapore.

In 1963, the Federation of Malaya or Malaysia was formed with total independence from the British. Singapore became one of the 14 states of the federation. However, in 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation and became an independent country. Singapore embarked upon an ambitious plan to empower the people with the right education and skills. This goal was achieved when it managed to attract MNCs to set up business here. Employment was created for the people, revenue flowed in and Singapore progressively built its country as an enterprise state. Today, Singapore is a success story that is marvelled at.

4. The Singapore Government

The political party which wins at least 50% of the seats during the election forms the government of Singapore. The People’s Action Party (PAP) has formed the government of Singapore since 1959. The Singapore government is made up 16 ministries (visit http://www.sgdi.gov.sg/ for more info).

Other than its strategic position as a regional hub, MNCs prefer to set up business in Singapore because the government is stable and the country is efficiently managed. From personal income tax to the formation of companies, the ministries have eased procedures to the click of the mouse on the internet.

Singapore is noted as one of the safest places in the world to the extent that the Singapore Police Force has to remind the nation never to take their security for granted – “Low Crime Does Not Mean No Crime”. This feature of Singapore is actively protected by the Singapore government as security and political stability are crucial factors that will either encourage or hinder tourism and business growth.

For more information about the Singapore government, please visit: http://www.gov.sg/

5. The Singapore Economy

The Singapore’s economy has grown, grown and grown for the last 2 centuries. Even during the battering of the Asian financial crisis of 1997, while all other South-east Asian countries were derailed, Singapore managed to keep her hat on. In Thailand and other South-east Asian countries, millionaires became bankrupts overnight. During this time, the hustle and bustle of the Singapore city continued. A key indication that a financial crisis was experienced by the region could be seen in the plunge in the SGX stock prices. BusinessWeek testified to Singapore’s achievement with this tribute: “the island state (ie. Singapore) has survived Asia's financial meltdown in remarkably good shape”. (Refer to BusinessWeek Online http://www.businessweek.com/@@3V34YWcQcnOnXgYA/1999/ 99_14/b3623013.htm)

What makes the Singapore economy strong? From its founding, Singapore was a base for business. As a country, Singapore cannot boast of having any natural resources. In fact, the leaders of Singapore have consistently highlighted this challenge so that it is permanently marinated in the minds of Singaporeans. Perhaps the single most important reason for the strength of Singapore’s economy lies with its leadership – a strong leadership with the ability to proactively respond to every major challenge facing the economy. This has been true from the time of Sir Stamford Raffles right till Lee Hsien Loong, who is the current Prime Minister of Singapore.

Singapore is recognized as one of the world’s most business-friendly economy in the world. Some of the key growth industries are Education, Biomedical Sciences, Chemicals, Media, Engineering and Info-communications. A free market economy, with low taxes to attract foreign companies, Singapore is strategically located as the regional hub of South East Asia. The GDP is estimated to be over S$190 billion with a labour force of over 2 million people. With unemployment less than 3% and growth projections to be positive for the year ahead, the economy of Singapore is stable, just as it has been for decades.

6. The People Of Singapore (language, race, religion)

Singapore is made up of 3 races: the Chinese (77%), the Malays (13%) , the Indians (8%) and other races like the Eurasians, Arabs, Jews and others. The language commonly used in Singapore is English and it is usually spoken in a unique way, which is identified by all Singaporeans as Singlish. Before Singapore’s independence, the Malay language was the lingua franca of not only Singapore but of Malaya too. However, the “modern” Singaporeans are mostly fluent in English. In fact, English is so predominantly used by the Chinese Singaporeans that the government had to embark on a “Speak Mandarin” campaign to ensure that Mandarin did not lose its foothold.

The main religions of Singapore are Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Taoism and Sikhism. Temples, churches and mosques are littered all over the country, and a simple count from a 2006 Street Directory points to more than 700 places of worship. This means that since the current land area of Singapore is about 700 square kilometers, there exists at least one place of worship for every square kilometre of land in Singapore! Religious harmony exists between the different groups of Singaporeans and common sessions of prayer have been held annually. The school’s Nation Education programme attempts to blend all Singaporeans further by allowing every Singaporean child an experience into the cultures and history of Singapore. Through the platform of the Social Studies fields trips, primary school students are led to visit paces like Little India and Chinatown with the aid a educationally trained guide. These experiences serve to remind all Singaporeans about their national identity and the importance of racial and religious harmony.

The population of Singapore has swelled from 3 million in 1990 to 4.5 million in 2007. The Singapore government has projected an increase in the population to 6.5 million in 40 to 50 years. Incentives to encourage local couples to have more children and entice immigrants will probably do the trick of ensuring a progressive population increase. This will be positive news to the local businessmen as it would create a much larger domestic market for their goods and services.

7. The Singapore Weather

It is usually warm and sunny in Singapore with temperatures ranging from 22 to 34 degree Celsius. Rainfall is plenty with an annual of rainfall of almost 100 inches. Humidity ranges between 80 to 90%. What these facts mean is simply this: you will perspire a lot if you are outdoors and do carry an umbrella around.