Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-qxdb6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T06:02:54.479Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The People's Action Party, 1954–1963

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2009

Pang Cheng Lian
Get access

Extract

The People's Action Party, or the PAP as it is more commonly known, carries the unique distinction of being the first Southeast Asian political party to control all the seats of the legislature through free elections. Since the general elections of April 1968, when the PAP won all the 58 seats (51 of which were uncontested) Singapore has had a one-party Parliament. Yet when the Party was inaugurated in 1954 its policies were criticised by a local paper as being “nicely calculated to attract the unthinking, a feast of promise with little regard to facts”.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Southeast Asian History , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , January 1969 , pp. 142 - 154
Copyright
Copyright © The National University of Singapore 1969

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Straits Times (Editorial) 24 11 1954.Google Scholar

2. Wah, Yeo Kim, Political Development in Singapore 1945–55, Unpublished M.A. Thesis, University of Singapore, 1967, p. 310.Google Scholar

3. Rajaratnam, S. “PAP's First 10 years” PAP's 10th Anniversary Celebration Souvenir, Singapore, 1964, p. 204.Google Scholar

4. Yew, Lee Kuan, The Battle for Merger, Singapore 1961Google Scholar. Lee Kuan Yew is now Secretary-General of the Party and Prime Minister of Singapore; Dr. Toh Chin Chye is Chairman of the Party, Minister of Science and Technology as well as Vice-Chancellor of the Singapore University; Dr. Goh Keng Swee is Vice-Chairman of the Party and Minister of Finance; S. Rajaratnam is the Chairman of the PAP Political Bureau and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Labour.

5. Yew, Lee Kuan quoted by Straits Times 5 05 1955.Google Scholar

6. Straits Times 28 10 1954.Google Scholar

7. Ibid..

8. Rajaratnam, S., op. cit. p. 205.Google Scholar

9. These were Lim Chin Siong, still under detention, and Devan Nair who was released from detention in 1959.

10. Petir Vol 1 No. 3/4 08/09 1956, “The Tasks Ahead” p. 3.Google Scholar

11. Straits Times (Editorial) 28 06 1955.Google Scholar

12. See Singapore Annual Report 1936 “General Review” for an account of the events which took place in 1956.

13. The Internal Security Council (ISC) was to consist of 7 members — 2 from Singapore, 2 from UK and 1 from Malaya.

14. Rajaratnam, S.op. cit., p. 207Google Scholar.

Yew, Lee Kuanop. cit., p. 27Google Scholar.

A non-PAP member trade unionist substantiated this at an interview.

15. He was to be the first and last Mayor. In 1959 the City Council was abolished and its functions taken over by the Minister for National Development because it was felt that “it was quite impossible, in a territory which measures only about 220 square miles to have in it two governments, two administrations competing side by side in a territory which is so small in its extent,” (Legislative Assembly Debates 15 07 1959. col. 49).Google Scholar

16. Mills, L. A., op. cit., p. 56.Google Scholar

17. PAP First Annual Report Economic Press, Singapore, 1955, p. 1.Google Scholar

18. Straits Times 10 05 1958.Google Scholar

19. This and the following two figures are based on a sample taken of the PAP membership. The sample was made in the course of doing research for an M.A. thesis. Application forms of all PAP members which contain some personal information, are kept in numerical order at the Party Headquarters and a random sample of one in five was made of these forms in mid–1966.

20. Petir vol. 3 no. 5, 07 1959, p. 2.Google Scholar

21. Interview with an ex-political detainee who is a self-confessed ex-member of the Malayan Communist Party revealed that he and other MCP members, who were also members of the PAP were given instructions to help the PAP at the 1959 general elections. Lee Kuan Yew, however, stated that the MCP fought the PAP in 4 constituencies where there were Party Rakyat candidates, and was neutral in the other constituencies, But he did admit that its supporters “may have voted for the PAP”. See The Battle for Merger p. 37.Google Scholar

22. Economist “Singapore's Two Mr. Lees” vol. 191, 30 05 1959, p. 856Google Scholar. In the 1959 political spectrum of Singapore the PAP was generally regarded as the extreme left.

23. Singapore Yearbook 1964 p. 38.Google Scholar

24. Brackman, A. C., Southeast Asia's Second Front, Singapore 1966, p. 32Google Scholar. See also Rajaratnam, S.op. cit., p. 212.Google Scholar

25. Straits Times 23 06 1960.Google Scholar

26. Straits Times 21 06 1960.Google Scholar

27. Ibid.

28. Straits Times 19 August 1960.

29. Singapore Yearbook 1964 p. 43.

30. Plebiean Special Hong Lim By-election issue. Nos. 1 and 2, 2 July and 7 July 1965.

31. Plebiean Express (Barisan Sosialis Party organ) “The Inside Story” 10 1965, p. 5.Google Scholar

32. Sin Chew 13 06 1961.Google Scholar

33. Sin Chew 21 06 1961.Google Scholar

34. There were: Lim Chin Siong, Fong Swee Suan, S. Woodhull, Jamit Singh, D. Puthucheary, and S. T. Bani.

35. This was set up in late 1958 by Lim Yew Hock, then leader of the Labour Front. The intention to widen this into a united front of anti-PAP parties did not materialise and the Labour Front and the Liberal Sosialists remained independent. See Bellows, T. J., “The Singapore Party System” JSEAH, vol. 8. No. 1, 03 1967, p 125.Google Scholar

36. This 80% includes members who resigned, were expelled and those who allowed their membership to lapse.

37. Information in this paragraph has been derived from various interviews.

38. 13 had defected to the Barisan, 3 had left to join Ong Eng Guan, 1 had died and another resigned in July, 1962.

39. Yew, Lee Kuanop. cit., p. 1.Google Scholar

40. The UPP also nominated 46 candidates but it was not generally regarded as a serious rival by the PAP.

41. Singapore Annual Report 1963 p. 26.Google Scholar

42. Starner, F. L. “The Singapore Elections of 1965”Google Scholar in Milne, R. S. and Ratnam, K. J., The Malayan Parliamentary Elections of 1964, Singapore, 1957, p. 350.Google Scholar

43. Rumour was rife that Ong Eng Guan had gone to Japan and received some money from the Americans to split the left-wing votes and prevent a Barisan Sosialis victory.

44. According to Dr. Starner's analysis the Barisan Sosialis would have gained only 8 more seats if it had obtained all of UPP's votes See Milne, R. S. and Ratnam, K. J., op. cit., p. 352.Google Scholar

45. The Barisan Sosialis decided not to contest these elections and the PAP was returned unopposed in 51 constituencies.