Based on our research, we grouped our 8 sources that we think is important to remember into 3 key groups, which are political instability, self-government and racial tension. Firstly, for the self-government, we found 4 sources on this topic, which are the merdeka talks, the 1956 students riots, the 1959 elections and the hock lee bus riots. For example, the merdeka talk is important as we should remember how our forefathers help to pave the way for the attainment of full self-government. If we did not have the merdeka talks, we could probably never have gained full internal self-government from the British and we might not have achieved the Singapore we are living in today. Also, the hock lee bus riot is important for Singapore as it tells us how a strike in the early days could easily lead to a serious riot and that we should not repeat the same mistake again. We are very fortunate that Singapore now has progressed a lot and had become a safe and riot-free country. When we think back about the incident, perhaps if the people were more calm and were willing to settle their disputes in a more proper and effective way, the strike would have been prevented.Hence, we should remember how Singapore progressed to self-government.
Our second main key group is the racial tensions.There were 3 sources that we found on this topic, which are the Maria Hertogh riot and the race riots.The Maria Hertogh riot is one of the main events that we should remember in singapore’s history. Due to this riot, now we have numerous laws to prevent such events to ever recur again, from the Sedition Act, to the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act, to the Penal Code and its punishments for hurting others’ racial and religious sensitivities, to the recently revised Public Order Act. Our police force now are also much better trained to deal with unrest, and are more racially diverse as compared to colonial times. In general for these 3 sources, the overall message that we should remember that it is important to get along with other races well and this is why we commemorate racial harmony day every 21 july. It is a day for us to appreciate what we have today, to reflect on Singapore’s success on being a racially harmonious nation, built on a rich diversity of culture and heritage. It is the introduction of Racial Harmony Day, that students are able to recognize the terror of Singapore’s past and come to realize that racial tolerance and harmony are essential when living under a multi-ethnic roof. Therefore, we should speak in one voice as citizens of Singapore, rather than from a colored perspective as members of the different ethnic and religious communities.
Lastly for political instability, the key event that took place was the anti-national service riot and the 1955 elections. The Chinese students were unwilling to serve the government, who did not respected them. Comparing back then and now, we do not have people protesting against the government for anti-national service. Hence, this riot is important to Singapore as it features what happened when national service was first introduced. It also shows us that Singapore in the early days was still insecure and not so peaceful, so we must treasure what we have now in Singapore, the peace and safe country where everyone can live in with no worries.
Through these sources, it clearly shows why it was important to remember these events that happened in the early years when Singapore is still under control by the British. It was because of our forefathers’ hardwork and perseverance that we get to enjoy the Singapore that we are living in now; the clean, safe and peaceful country.
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