Singapore

The Republic of Singapore is a city-state located on an island off the southern tip of Malaysia. It currently has a population of over 5.7 million. Since independence in 1965, the country’s politics has been determined by the People’s Action Party (PAP). Singapore is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but also has a particularly high cost of living. The island’s area is limited, which presents a series of particular economic, ecological, social, and cultural challenges.

Singapore’s modern history began with the foundation of the British East India Company by the Englishman Stamford Raffles in 1819. Until then, the island had been sparsely populated. In 1867, Singapore, along with the Malay peninsula, was declared a British Crown colony. During the Second World War, Singapore was occupied by the Japanese, who surrendered in 1945, returning the island to British rule. In 1959, Singapore became a self-governing Crown colony. In the first elections, the PAP emerged as the winner, with Lee Kuan Yew beco­ming prime minister. In 1963, Singapore merged with Malaya, Sabah, and Sarawak to form the Malaysia  Federation and in this way gained formal independence from Britain as a colonial power. But the federation only lasted a short time; Singapore was expelled from Malaysia in 1965, and has since existed as an independent city-state.

Under Lee Kuan Yew, who ruled until 1990, the PAP launched a campaign to modernize the country. Within a single generation, Singapore went from being a developing country to being a highly industrialized one. In the  early 1960s, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) was established, with the task of creating modern, affordable homes for slum dwellers and, in doing so, to contribute to economic growth. Given the limited area of the state, dense high-rise settlements were constructed. These would eventually receive inter­national attention, and many political delegations arrived to visit the new buildings from neighboring Asian countries, but also from West Germany, for example. Today, around 80 percent of Singapore’s population still lives in HDB housing. The homes are subject to a leasing system, whereby the land remains in public hands. Since the 1990s, the early developments have been renovated or completely rebuilt. However, the future of these iconic modern buildings is now uncertain, and many have already fallen victim to profit-oriented new construction projects. SB/MH/CH/EK