Singapore Collection 2020 BY THE INTERNATIONAL DELEGATION IN SINGAPORE LES JEUNES DE L'IHEDN Preface Singapore Collection's Project Les Jeunes IHEDN are committed citizens who foster a Singapore Collection 2020 was made possible thanks to the dynamic and fresh reflection around defence matters. Our contribution of the members of the International Delegation association, which was created in 1996 and attached to the in Singapore who wanted to share a comprehensive picture Institut des Hautes Etudes de Défense Nationale (IHEDN, of the city-state they live in. By focusing on specific subjects the Institute of Advanced Studies in National Defence) from a wide range of topics like politics and food culture, our community, aims to increase awareness about the Delegation aims to best capture the essence of Singapore importance of defence and security amongst young and what makes this country so unique. people and brings together military forces, diplomats, economic players, civilians and culture professionals. We hope you enjoy the reading as much as we are pleased to share the result of our collective work. We wish you a great At a global scale, the International Division of Les Jeunes National Day. Happy 55th Birthday Singapore ! IHEDN supports 20 Delegations spread around the world. They gather members in their hosting countries to organise Elizabeth ROGALSKI, International Delegate in Singapore projects and events related to defence, security and geopolitics. They are also in charge of developing strong ties with local partners, such as French diplomatic representations, french-speaking networks or youth organisations. These texts are the sole responsability of their authors. Ideas or opinions expressed cannot be considered as the expression of an official position. Table of Contents Sir Stamford Raffles page 6 The National Service page 14 The Singapore page 7 Singlish page 15 Independence Act Lau Pa Sat page 16 Lee Kwan Yew page 8 Peranakan Shophouses page 17 The Port of Singapore page 9 Chili Crab page 18 The Merlion page 10 Chicken Rice page 19 Land Reclamation page 11 Singapore Sling page 20 The Haze page 12 Mustafa Centre page 21 The "Garden City" project page 13 Sir Stamford Raffles by Victor BAFFET Raffles Place, Raffles City, Raffles hotel, Raffles hospital, etc. Sir Stamford Raffles is such an iconic figure of Singapore that many places were named after him. In the early nineteenth century, South East Asia was mostly controlled by the Dutch. Their territories included many ports, such as Malacca and Jakarta (the Dutch regional capital). As the rivalry between the British and the Dutch empires reached its peak, Stamford Raffles was sent to the region. The ambitious Raffles - working for the British East India Company - had the objective to grow the lucrative trades of tea, porcelain, spices, and opium, particularly with China. Raffles quickly became Lieutenant Governor of Bencoolen (Sumatra). However, the place was 6 unprofitable due to too little maritime freight. Therefore, Raffles decided to look for other options. Singapore had several advantages: a strategic location at the end of the Malacca strait (to bypass Malacca), a large harbour that made it easy to repair ships and, above all, the island was free from the Dutch. Therefore Raffles established a British trading post in Singapore on the 29th of January 1819. In June, he returned to Bencoolen and left the ruling of Singapore to his assistant Major William Farquhar. After the settlement of the free port, the city quickly grew as a booming trade hub, attracting migrants from China, India, the Malay Archipelago and beyond. Even though Sir Stamford Raffles only spent a few months in Singapore, the decision of establishing a free port “set this island on a trajectory leading to where we are today" as Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said. Singapore Collection 2020 The Singapore Independence Act by Paul AGARD Following the election of the leader of the People's Action Party, Lee Kuan Yew, and the establishment of a Constitution in 1959, Singapore requested integration into the Federation of Malaysia, which took place on September 16, 1963. Composed by a Chinese majority, the island is also home to a significant Malay Finally, it is interesting to note that the Act sets out the official languages minority. It soon found itself in the grip of serious racial violence, with the spoken in Singapore: “Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and English shall be the four parties in conflict accusing each other of fuelling ethnic tensions. official languages in Singapore.” (article 7 (1) of the Act). This provision is the sign of the cultural mosaic of the country, where a mix of cultures and religions Following a meeting between the Malay and Singaporean Prime Ministers in coexist. August 1965, the Parliament of Kuala Lumpur voted to exclude Singapore from the Federation and its independence was proclaimed on August 9, 1965. 7 The Singapore Act of Independence is the founding legal act of Singapore since it recognizes the city-state as a sovereign state. This transfer of sovereignty was made through the transfer of jurisdiction from the Malaysian Government to the President of Singapore. According to the Act, the King of Malaysia shall cease to be the Supreme Head of Singapore. His sovereignty, jurisdiction, power and authority, executive or otherwise, in respect of Singapore shall be relinquished and vest in the hands of the President of Singapore. From a legal point of view, the Act establishes a transitional period during which the provisions of the Malaysian Constitution continue to apply and are “subject to modifications, adaptations and qualifications and exceptions as may be necessary to bring them into conformity with the independent status of Singapore upon separation from Malaysia.” (article 6 (1) of the Act). Singapore Collection 2020 Lew Kwan Yew by Victor BAFFET Lee Kwan Yew, nicknamed LKY, is an iconic figure of modern Singapore. Most of the city-state’s economic success can be attributed to his vision and policies. Indeed, LKY has governed Singapore as Prime minister from 1959 to 1990. He As LKY said, his strategy was “to develop Singapore's only available natural led Singapore to independence from the British in 1963 and then from the resource, its people". Malaysian federation in 1965. When he first came into power, Singapore faced many difficulties : high unemployment, a housing crisis, ethnic tensions and no LKY's policies aimed primarily to attract foreign businesses and investments natural resources. to Singapore. Therefore, the main focuses were put on education, zero tolerance to criminal activities, low tax rates, and the construction of good infrastructures. They proved to be very successful. LKY managed to build an English-speaking 8 highly skilled workforce. Both street crimes and corruption are almost unheard of, and Singapore’s economy grew dramatically (with an average GDP growth of around 7% during his ruling) to become one of the highest GDP per capita country in the world today. LKY is perceived to be a tough but respected leader with a long term vision and tenacity. He was ruthless with its political opponents and trade unions, not hesitating to threaten them or to use legal actions. He also gained international respect as his policies inspired Deng Xiaoping when in 1979 he decided to open up China and built special economic zones. LKY left so much of his mark on Singapore that it is not surprising to see that 1.7 millions Singaporean (about 1 in 3) paid tribute to him at the Parliament House when he died in 2015. Singapore Collection 2020 The Port of Singapore by Paul AGARD Since its independence in 1965, the Republic of Singapore has enjoyed an unparalleled economic growth and prosperity. The leaders of the modern state benefited from the already well-established The new Port of Tuas, in the western part of the island, aims to reinvent the port function of what was for a century and a half a colonial trading post. At the maritime industry. It uses intelligent data-driven operations management same time, they encouraged the training of workers, the opening up to systems, smart engineering and power management platforms. By 2040, the foreign investment and the diversification of industrial and financial Port of Tuas will be the largest fully automated terminal worldwide. activities. Because of its role as a global interface and privileged tool for world trade, the Port of Singapore is the most telling illustration of the unbridled In times of pandemic, the relevance of such pharaonic projects is questionable development of the city-state. when the world economy is going to be completely remodeled, and when states may prefer to give priority to short supply circuits. In 1964, the Port of Singapore Authority (P.S.A.) was established with a mandate to diversify the port's activities and create five specialized terminals. This 9 strategy proved to be a winning strategy as in 2006 nearly 130,000 ships and 448 million tons of cargo were handled, making it the world’s second port in terms of tonnage and the first in size. The Port of Singapore has five major terminals located on the main island, where barely half of the tonnage transits. The rest of the traffic is generated by the oil industry, for which Singapore is the leader in South-East Asia. It is mainly handled in Jurong (a planning area located in the West Region of Singapore), on small islands which were developed for this purpose. These facilities are easily accessible for large tankers and are located far enough offshore from the city to significantly reduce pollution impacts. Singapore Collection 2020 The Merlion by Anna BARRAQUE The Merlion is one of the most iconic symbol of Singapore and getting a picture with this statue is a must-do when visiting the city-state.