---
# System prepended metadata

title: Road to Self-Governance
tags: [History, Y2]

---

Please read [Japanese Occupation](https://hackmd.io/@sherlocknotes/SJnq_B8K2) for context if you have not done so.

Communist countries vs Capitalist countries

# Communist
- Karl Marx
- wealth should be shared equally
- single-party system

## Malayan Communist Party (MCP)
- Guerilla warfare
- Sought to end British colonial rule and bring Malaya under a communist government
- influenced **trade unions**
- stirring up anti-British sentiments among trade unions and Chinese middle school students
- attacked rubber and tin plantations in Malaysia
- 
Why Chinese middle school?
1. Links to China
2. Conditions in Chinese schools deprioritised by British

## Anti-Colonial movement
_looks across river_  why are they independent but not us
i want independence i dont want big daddy europe governing over me

# British Actions
## Housing
- Singapore has post war **baby boom**
- Significant portion of population lived in slums
- Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) accelerated building program
- Still not enough to solve housing shortages
- Many continued to live in cramped conditions throughout the 1950s

## Managing Industrial Unrest
- unsatisfactory working conditions
- waves of **strikes**

## Rebuilding the Economy
- repaired ports damaged during the war

## Local Political Participation
- tried to appease Singaporeans by allowing locals to participate
- 1948 Elections

# Labour Unrest
## Trade Unions
- trade union protect worker's rights
- began to strike for rights
- wanted higher living standards

# Maria Hertog Riots
- **custody battle** over 13-year-old Maria Hertog
- Born in java to Dutch Catholic parents
- Sent to Che Aminah to stay during the Japanese Occupation
-  In 1950, Hertog family wanted her back by making a case
- Ruled for her to be returned to her natural parents
- Placed her in a convent
- Che Aminah appealed against the judge
- Newspapers **sensationalised** her life in the convent
- Potrayed as a religious issue between Islam and Christianity
- Muslims felt upset cuz their religion was being disrespected
- Judge rejected Che Aminah's appeal
- Rioted in the streets and attacked Europeans and Eurasians in sight.
- Troops sent in but riot continued for 3 days
- 18 killed, 173 injured

## Causes
Discontent at the incompetence and insensitivity of the British -> Uderlying
Emerging nationalism of Malay-Muslim community -> short-medium factors
Sensationalised press coverage -> trigger
Non-intervention by members of the police force -> Aggravating


# Anti National-Service Riots
- British government decided to enroll males aged 18-20 for part time national service
- Registration was compulsory
- Argued that people should have the responsibility of defending themselves
- Angered Chinese school students who believed that the were being made to defend a foreign government which they were resentful
- 13 May 900 students held a demonstration
- Police were called in to disperse the crowds and the demonstration turned violent
- 20 students and 6 policemen injured; 45 students arrested.

## Why more peaceful than Maria Hertogh?
- Different causes
- Did not want to fight

# Hock Lee Bus Riots
- Workers in the Hock Lee Bus Company joined a communist-influenced trade union **SBWU**
- Went on strike over unfair treatment of their union compared to the Hock Lee Bus Employees' Union
- Fired as a result
- Retaliated with hunger strikes, formed a human chain to prevent buses from leaving the depot
- More than 10,000 students from Chinese-medium schools joined in to help
- David Marshall tried to settle dispute, but could not reach an agreement
- In meantime, strikes grew and employees of other bus companies joined in
- 12 May, police attempted to disperse crowd with water hoses
- 4 killed 31 injured
- 14 May finally reached agreement
- Trade Union members still suspicious of govt

# SCMSSU Riots
- Lim Yew Hock dissolved the Singapore Chinese Middle School Students' Union
- 5000 students demanded the re-registration of the SCMSSU
- Closed two schools and expelled 142 middle school students two weeks later
- Suspected they were pro communist
- Students camped in sch to protest
- Lim Yew Hock demanded students leave by 8pm
- Students gathered around the schs
- Turned violent

# 1948 Elections
- Large number of local-born Singaporeans dislike British
- Only 6 elected non-officials
- Only born in Singapore or British subjects
- Only 14,000 of 960,000 people (approx. 0 .5%)
- 45% were British Indian subjects despite were majority Chinese

# First Merdeka Talks
- demanded full self government by 1957
- Led a delegation to London for talks but broke down
- British were unconvinced that the Marshall government could maintain law and order and deal with the communist threat
- Replaced by Lim Yew Hock

# Lim Yew Hock
- Next chief minister
- Stressed cooperation with British and repression of communists
-  Banned several alleged communist organisations and unions eg, SCMSSU
- Sent in police with tear gas to disperse SCMSSU protest
- British were pleased with his decisive handling of riots

# Second Merdeka Talks
- Led a second delegation to London
- Full internal self-government
- Singapore will control all domestic issues except internal security
- Legislative Assembly consist of 51 elected members and all ministers will be locals
- Government will be headed by a Prime Minister - local
- Yang-di-Pertuan Negara replace governor

# 1959 Elections
- Locals very interested
- 13 Parties 194 candidates contested
- Citizenship Ordinance 1957 enabled more than 300000 people to vote
- **COMPULSORY VOTING!!!!**
- 525000 Voted
- PAP got 43 seats of 51
- Landslide victory for PAP
- **Lee Kuan Yew** sworn in as Prime Minister

Continued with [Merger](https://hackmd.io/@sherlocknotes/HJSGoAwi3).