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114-459: As the end of World War II fostered national independence movements across the world, increasingly nationalistic sentiments in British colonies threatened the British pre-war empire. Decolonization was expected by both the local nationalists and the British rulers. At the same time, the burgeoning Cold War was also driving cultural and ideological change. When the club was formed, Singapore was still under

228-437: A high-income economy within his premiership. In the process, he forged a highly effective, anti-corrupt government and civil service. Lee eschewed populist policies in favour of long-term social and economic planning , championing civic nationalism through meritocracy and multiracialism as governing principles , making English the lingua franca to integrate its immigrant society and to facilitate trade with

342-509: A "half-past six democracy". The strike subsequently escalated into a riot on 12 May . Lee, Marshall and the company agreed on a further resolution on 14 May, which conceded to several of the strikers' demands. In an emergency legislative assembly sitting on 16 May, Chief Secretary William Goode accused Lee of losing control of the PAP to Lim. Lee was constrained between defending the actions of his colleagues and denouncing them, instead reiterating

456-454: A five-member delegation led by the new chief minister Lim Yew Hock . Britain conceded to Singapore's self-governance but also demanded that a tripartite Internal Security Council be established, which proved controversial back home. Marshall challenged Lee to seek a fresh mandate from his Tanjong Pagar constituents, which Lee accepted. In the June 1957 by-elections , Lee was reelected with 68.1% of

570-581: A highly developed country during his tenure. Lee was born in Singapore during British colonial rule . After graduating from Raffles Institution , he won a scholarship to Raffles College, now the National University of Singapore . During the Japanese occupation , Lee escaped being the victim of a purge , before subsequently starting his own businesses while working as an administration service officer for

684-415: A merger with other former British territories in a national referendum to form Malaysia in 1963. Racial strife and ideological differences later led to Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia and subsequent independence in 1965, less than two years after the merger. With overwhelming parliamentary control at every general election, Lee oversaw Singapore's transformation into a developed country with

798-554: A more radical approach". Lee was convinced that Lim and Fong's influence were pushing the party toward "political disaster". After consulting his allies Toh Chin Chye , S. Rajaratnam and Byrne , Lee censured the two men privately and demanded they change strategies or leave the party. By 1956, Lee believed that the PAP "had been captured by the communists" and privately endorsed the Labour Front government purge of suspected "leftists" in

912-574: A move to split the party and together with his allies expelled Ong from the party. Ong resigned his seat in December, precipitating the Hong Lim by-election on in April 1961 which he won against a PAP candidate. The death of the PAP assemblyman for Anson that April triggered a second by-election. For the first time, Lim's faction openly revolted against Lee and endorsed Workers' Party chairman David Marshall who won

1026-490: A native-born to qualify for automatic citizenship, which would disenfranchise nearly one third of those eligible to vote; it issued a clarification but never recovered from the mistake. Lee placed the flag of Singapore alongside option A with the terms of Singapore retaining control of education and labour policy, while portraying the Barisan's choice as option B favouring entry into the federation with no special rights, next to

1140-595: A proponent of Realpolitik pragmatism , Lee's premiership was described as authoritarian by the Western world or as a sort of guided democracy by scholars and the media. He was criticised for curtailing press freedoms , imposing narrow limits on public protests, restricting labour movements from industrial or strike action through anti-union legislation and co-option , and bringing defamation lawsuits against prominent political opponents. Lee directly responded to such critiques by stating that "If Singapore

1254-528: A single seat majority in the 51-seat assembly after 13 of its members had abstained. Lee expelled the 13 who had broken ranks in addition to Lim, Fong and Woodhull. Lee and his colleagues believed that Singapore could only survive through merger with Malaya and was unwilling to call for complete independence. Merger would allow goods to be exported to the peninsula under a common market , while devolving unpopular internal security measures to Kuala Lumpur . Malaya's ruling Alliance Party coalition dominated by

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1368-572: A strike under the direction of Fong Swee Suan, leader of the Singapore Buses Workers' Union (SBWU). As SBWU's legal advisor, Lee worked with Marshall's government to negotiate a resolution, which was initially agreed by the SBWU but then reneged on by the company. Seeking to exert greater pressure, Lee, Fong and Lim Chin Siong addressed the strikers on 1 May ( May Day ), where Lee called the government

1482-542: A swampland to the island's western coast was chosen to be the site of a new industrial estate and would house steel mills, shipyards, and oil refineries, though Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee was initially worried the venture would fail. The government promoted multiculturalism by recognising Chinese, English, Malay, and Tamil as the official languages of the new state and sought to create a new national Malayan identity. The Ministry of Culture under S. Rajaratnam held free outdoor concerts with every ethnic race represented in

1596-539: A writer for the Malay newspaper Utusan Melayu ; and Devan Nair . He next turned his attention to the Chinese-speaking majority and was introduced to Lim Chin Siong and Fong Swee Suan, leaders of the influential bus and factories unions. While the unions had been infiltrated by communists, Lee consciously sought their support as he wanted a popular front. With elections approaching in 1955, Lee and his associates debated

1710-402: Is a nanny state , then I am proud to have fostered one". In addition, others have also argued that his actions were necessary and vital for the country's early development. Lee has been often described a benevolent dictator who fostered social wellbeing within an illiberal democratic framework. Lee continues to be held in high regard by Singaporeans. Lee was born on 16 September 1923,

1824-572: Is more evidence that can underpin the independence of USC from the communism ideology. In the book of "The Open United Front", Lee Ting Hui contends that USC can not be counted as a mass organization of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) despite the fact that some of the CPM people joined it (73). He also refers to Lim Shee Ping's insight of USC to point out the mutual exclusion of CPM and USC. The latter says "the socialist club were considered by them (ABL and

1938-465: Is no doubt that Lee Kuan Yew enjoyed a widespread reputation after achieving "the tremendous victory for freedom of speech" which was proclaimed in The Straits Times on August 26. Fajar trial was the first sedition trial in the post-war Malaysia and Singapore; the club's final victory stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of decolonization of this part of the world. Firstly,

2052-477: The Kempeitai (military police) and reported with a friend to be screened. He attempted to leave the next morning but was ordered to join a group of already segregated men. Lee requested to collect his clothes first and managed to spend a second night in the dormitory before successfully leaving the site the next day when a different guard cleared him through. He later learned that the group of men were likely taken to

2166-490: The Cameron Highlands with his family to avoid a possible British invasion. He was tipped off that he was being followed and abandoned the plan. He engaged in private enterprises and black market sales for the rest of the war. During this time, Lee helped develop a glue based on tapioca, which he sold under the name Stikfas. The Stikfas logo later appeared on the base of his wedding cake. The rapid Japanese victory in

2280-685: The Junior Cambridge examinations. He also joined the Scouts and partook in several physical activities and debates. Lee was the top scorer in the Senior Cambridge examinations in 1940 across the Straits Settlements and Malaya, gaining the John Anderson scholarship to attend Raffles College. During the prize-awarding ceremony, Lee met his future wife Kwa Geok Choo ; she was the only girl at

2394-640: The MS Willem Ruys . He joined the Laycock and Ong law firm founded by British lawyer John Laycock . Laycock was a co-founder of the pro-British Progressive Party and Lee represented the party during the 1951 legislative council election as an election agent. Lee was called to the Singapore bar on 7 August 1951. During the postal union strike in May 1952, Lee negotiated a settlement which would mark his first step into

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2508-564: The Minister Mentor between 2004 to 2011, Senior Minister between 1990 to 2004 and first prime minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. He served as the secretary-general of the People's Action Party (PAP) from 1954 to 1992 and was the member of Parliament (MP) for Tanjong Pagar from 1955 until his death in 2015. Lee is widely recognised as the founding father of the modern Singaporean state, and for his leadership in transforming it into

2622-552: The People's Action Party (PAP) in 1954 and won his first seat at the Tanjong Pagar division during the 1955 general election . He became the de facto opposition leader in parliament, to Chief Ministers David Marshall and Lim Yew Hock of the Labour Front . Lee led his party to its first electoral victory in 1959 and was appointed the state's first prime minister. To attain complete home rule from Britain, Lee campaigned for

2736-731: The Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies (RSPAS) at the Australian National University . He took a turn as Director of RSPAS, 1975–80. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong from 1986 to 1995. In 2007, Wang became the third person to be named University Professor by the National University of Singapore . In 1994, Wang was awarded the Academic Prize of the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize by

2850-585: The Totnes constituency During his studies, Lee's political convictions and anti-colonial sentiments were hardened by personal experiences and an increasing belief that the British were ruling Singapore for their own benefit. He supported the Labour Party against the Conservatives whom he perceived as opposing decolonisation . In the leadup to the 1950 United Kingdom general election , Lee engaged in politics for

2964-489: The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) had repeatedly opposed the scheme and was apprehensive that Singapore's Chinese majority would reduce 'Malay political supremacy'. Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman backtracked after the PAP's Hong Lim by-election defeat, fearing a "pro-communist government" in Singapore should Lee fall from power. On 27 May 1961, Tunku announced that Malaya, Singapore, and

3078-442: The 1950s, the club went outside the campus to mobilize people from various socioeconomic groups, such as the working class and peasantry, facilitating the national coalition as the social bridge (25). At the same time, the socialist ideology of the club was reflected by various decisions made by the club in its progress of pursuing a nation-state. Although the club members saw themselves as a group of English-educated intellectuals; in

3192-513: The 1960s, they described Fajar as "the only journal of the English-educated leftwing." Loh questions the oversimplified classification of the club as an English-educated groups by emphasizing the fact that club enthusiastically supported the idea of promoting Malay as a national language instead of English (73). At the time, both the Alliance government and the PAP government was trying to promote

3306-657: The Barisan's critique of Malaysia as a neocolonial plot and left to form the Barisan Sosialis Party. Numerous Club alumni were arrested and sentenced to the prison under Operation Coldstore : Lim Hock Siew for 16 years; Poh Soo Kai for 15 years until 1973 and again three years later. Others include Sydney Woodhull, Jamit Singh, A. Mahadeva, Albert Lim Shee Ping, Ho Piao and James Puthucheary. Subsequently, Fajar and five Nanyang University publication were banned in Singapore in February (283). The university socialist club (USC)

3420-402: The British colonies of North Borneo and Sarawak should pursue "political and economic cooperation". Lee endorsed the program six days later and commenced negotiations on the formation of Malaysia. In August 1961, Lee and Tunku agreed that Singapore's defence, foreign affairs and internal security would be transferred to the federal government, while education and labour policy remained with

3534-494: The British for the slow transition to self-rule, demanded their immediate withdrawal, and said that the PAP would pursue a Singapore-Malaya union. Lee became secretary-general of the party, a post he held until 1992, barring a brief period in 1957 when the post was taken up by T. T. Rajah . In July 1953, Governor John Nicoll initiated the Rendel Commission to provide for a transition to self-rule. The commission created

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3648-647: The CEC to be a cadre and regain these privileges. Lee credited the Vatican system where the pope pre-selects its cardinals for the idea. The Labour Front government's conciliatory approach to the Hock Lee strikers led to a drastic increase in strikes. Frustrated by his limited powers, Marshall demanded further constitutional reforms towards the aim of "true self-government". Lee supported Marshall in his efforts, though he initially threatened an opposition boycott over wording disputes in

3762-665: The Chinese diaspora in South-east Asia and Singapore, providing invaluable insights for policymakers". In July 2022, Wang was conferred the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters ( Litt.D. ) by NUS. As an NUS alumnus, Wang was lauded for "his dedication to Sinology, his remarkable intellect, his trailblazing vision, and his public contributions". The honorary doctorate celebrates the long-standing contributions and value that Wang's scholarly insights bring to Singapore, Southeast Asia, and

3876-848: The Chinese-educated ones appeared to be issue-oriented and managed to seek common ground while reserving differences, respecting each other and pursuing collectively for the university autonomy. The club played an active role in the work of the Joint Activities Committee which was formed in October 1960 by the Socialist Club, the Singapore Polytechnic Political Society and the Nanyang University Political Science Society to fight against

3990-585: The Fajar trial witnessed the historical period when Nationalist trends of thoughts exerted great influence on people of different backgrounds in Malaya. Left-leaning individuals and organizations including the Chinese school students and workers contributed generously to the defense fund of the club. Numerous academics and scholars stood out to openly support the club. Secondly, for the Club itself, this unexpected victory undoubtedly

4104-518: The HDB under chairman Lim Kim San completed more flats in three years than its predecessor did in thirty-two. Government expenditure for public utilities, healthcare and education also increased significantly. By the end of the year, however, unemployment began to rise drastically as the economy slowed. Lee reversed anti-colonial policies and launched a five-year plan to build new industries, seeking to attract foreign investors and rival Hong Kong . Jurong ,

4218-797: The Japanese city of Fukuoka . On 12 June 2009, he was one of ten eminent persons to receive an honorary degree to celebrate Cambridge University's 800th anniversary; he was awarded a Doctor of Letters ( honoris causa ). In 2020 Wang was awarded the Tang Prize in Sinology. He was also awarded the Distinguished Service Order (Singapore) in August 2020. He is a naturalized Australian after 18 years of teaching there, yet he does not consider himself Australian because "both his understanding of Australia and

4332-614: The Japanese propaganda office. After World War II ended, Lee briefly attended the London School of Economics before transferring to Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge to study law, graduating with a double first degree in 1947. He was called to the Bar from the Middle Temple in 1950. Upon his return to Singapore, he practised as an advocate and solicitor whilst campaigning for the British to relinquish their colonial rule . Lee co-founded

4446-601: The Malaya-Singapore campaign had a major impact on Lee as he recalled: "In 70 days of surprises, upsets and stupidities, British colonial society was shattered, and with it all the assumptions of the Englishman's superiority". In a radio broadcast made in 1961, Lee said he "emerged [from the war] determined that no one—neither Japanese nor British—had the right to push and kick us around... (and) that we could govern ourselves." It also influenced his perceptions of raw power and

4560-466: The PAP government's intervention of university autonomy and student right the alliance. After PAP came to power and gained the absolute control over the new-born nation, the relationship between it and the club has experienced an essential change. In 1966, the Ministry of Culture ordered the Socialist Club to obtain a permit for the publication of Siaran or cease publication; the club is told to register with

4674-600: The PAP to contesting 14 seats to avoid provoking the government and formed an electoral pact with the Labour Front and United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) to jointly tackle the new Liberal Socialist Party . The PAP campaigned on a slogan to "sweep the city clean" and emerged with 13 seats, allowing it to form a minority administration with UMNO's support. Lee and the rest of the CEC unanimously endorsed Ong to become mayor . Early in 1959, Communications and Works Minister Francis Thomas received evidence of corruption on Education Minister Chew Swee Kee . Thomas brought

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4788-523: The PAP's committal to non-violence. Marshall defended him and the PAP as "decent men" against Goode's accusations and called upon the party to "purge themselves of communists". The riot led the public to perceive the PAP as being led by "young, immature and troublesome politicians", resulting in a shortfall of new members. It deepened the divide between two emerging factions, with Lee's faction advocating Fabian 's brand of socialism for gradual reform and Lim's faction, later described by Fong as "favour(ing)

4902-515: The PAP's electoral win. Ong's relocation of his ministry to his Hong Lim stronghold and continued castigation of the British and civil servants was regarded by his colleagues as disruptive and Lee removed several portfolios from Ong's purview in February 1960. In the party conference on 18 June 1960, Ong filed "16 resolutions" against the leadership, accusing Lee of failing to seek party consensus when deciding policy, not adhering to anti-colonialism and suspending left-wing unions. Lee regarded it as

5016-594: The Prelims and Part I of the Tripos , and graduated with a Starred First for Part II Law in 1949. As the top student of his cohort, he was awarded the Fitzwilliam's Whitlock Prize; Lee was called to the Bar from the Middle Temple in 1950. If you value fairness and social justice, not only to the people of Britain but also to the millions of British subjects in the colonies, return another Labour government. Lee to voters in

5130-528: The Registrar of Societies under the Societies Act. In the student activities in the 1960s, the Club still maintain an influential power on the campus and raised the banner to ally itself with alternative student groups to defend the student right and freedom of speech from the intervene of the government who was its reliable ally in the 1950s. The period from 1966 when the student move broken out to 1971 witnessed

5244-532: The aftermath of the 1956 Chinese middle schools riots . The arrestees included his rival Lim and several other PAP members. When other leftist members captured six seats in the PAP central executive committee (CEC) elections on 4 August 1957, Lee refused to allow his allies to assume their appointments and said that his faction had "lost their moral right" to enforce the party's founding philosophy. Overtures were made by fellow CEC member T. T. Rajah to remain in his post, to which he declined. The government arrested

5358-554: The agreement. Between 1956 and 1958, there would be three rounds of constitutional talks. Lee was part of Marshall's 13-member delegation to London in April 1956. Marshall's demands for independence were repeatedly rejected by Colonial Secretary Alan Lennox-Boyd and Lee departed early over Marshall's refusal to compromise. He criticised Marshall for his "political ineptitude" in the British press and received widespread media and radio coverage. He returned to London in March 1957 as part of

5472-545: The agreements struck by Lee and Tunku, which the Barisan boycotted. A referendum for merger was scheduled for 1 September 1962. Lee ensured that the ballot lacked a "no" option, with all three options having varying terms for admission into Malaysia. The ballot was crafted by Lee and Goh Keng Swee to capitalise on a mistake which the Barisan had made the previous year. The Barisan had inadvertently endorsed merger under terms "like Penang " (a state of Malaya) with full citizenship rights, not realising that Malayan law entitled only

5586-518: The aims and directions of the party and on its draft constitution. More importantly, the club, while having impact through the different social classes support the founding of the PAP. Even in PAP's very first election with only four candidates, the club members made painstaking effort to canvass for its candidates. Numerous Club members and alumni joined the Barisan Socialis . Sydney Woodhull, Poh Soo Kai, Lim Hock Siew and James Puthucheary served in

5700-611: The anti-colonial movement as the members of the Anti-British League (ABL). The socialist club was formed in 1953 under the influence of nationalism, decolonization and modernism. The beginnings of the club can be traced back to the political discussions held by the medical students of the University of Malaya. The discussion then expanded to include students from arts and science faculty at the Bukit Timah campus (13). In October 1952,

5814-649: The beach and executed. Lee obtained a Japanese language proficiency certificate in August 1942 and worked in a friend's company and then the Kumiai , which controlled essential items. He got a job with the Japanese propaganda department ( Hōdōbu ) in late 1943 and worked for the Japanese occupation force as an English specialist. Working at the top of the Cathay Building , he was assigned to listen to Allied radio stations for Morse code signals. By late 1944, Lee knew Japan had suffered major setbacks and planned to move to

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5928-455: The benefits of merger in what he called the 'Battle for Merger'. The speeches proved to be a massive success for Lee's campaign, while Barisan's demands for equal airtime were rejected. Lee employed full use of state resources to suppress his opponents by revoking the Barisan's printing permits, banning or relocating its rallies, and purging its supporters from the government, while the judiciary and police engaged to "obstruct, provoke and isolate"

6042-474: The board members who are arrested was nine instead of eight if including Jeyaraj C. Rajarao (1st-year arts). However, only eight members stayed in the Fajar trial because Jayaraj resigned from the board after his arrest and interrogation in May 1954. D.N. Pritt played a significant role in the trial. However, the question of who invited Pritt to defend the students is unknown. In the book of "Men in White", it says it

6156-447: The club by arguing "the Club was founded at a time of much promise for an opening in public discourse but ended when the basis of such public discourse was denied. It marked a closing of the mind from which a new opening must surely come at some future" (9). Wang Gungwu Wang Gungwu , AO , CBE ( 王赓武 ; 王賡武 ; Wáng Gēngwǔ ; born 9 October 1930) is an Australian historian, sinologist, and writer specialising in

6270-491: The club with Oorjitham as secretary general and Woodhull as publication secretary. The constitution of the University Socialist Club was drafted as follow: Also reflected in the constitution of Club above, the club was made in a flexible and open manner so the membership can be given to any individuals who have alternative political views as long as those opinions are in favor of anti-colonialism. In February 1954,

6384-510: The club's final struggle under growing social control of the PAP-ruled government. Eventually, the club was deregistered in 1971. In 1975 the government reconstructed d the University of Singapore Student Union; students lost the right to elect the leaders by themselves, and the funds of the Union was put under the control of the university administration. Those regulations were a forceful confinement of

6498-462: The club. In the initial year of the club's founding, it had a mix of left-wing socialists and those of a more centrist leaning. The Fajar trial led to the departure of the latter from the club. Additionally, the Fajar trial not only paved the way for Lee Kuan Yew 's political career but also laid the foundation for the future collaboration relationship between the Club and the PAP Lee launched soon. After

6612-591: The control of the Emergency Regulation, which was imposed by the colonial regime throughout the peninsular Malaya and Singapore against the communist insurgency. Underground activities of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) was seen as a threat by the British. In one typical example of anti-British activity and response, 35 students of the University of Malaya were arrested in January 1951 for participating in

6726-639: The effectiveness of harsh punishment in deterring crime. Lee chose not to return to Raffles College after the war and pursued higher education in the United Kingdom. He sailed from Singapore on his 23rd birthday on the MV Britannic , arriving in the UK on 3 October. He initially enrolled at the London School of Economics , but found himself disliking life in the British capital. He visited Cambridge in November and

6840-403: The evidence to Lee after the chief minister dismissed the matter. Lee tabled a motion in the assembly on 17 February, which forced Chew's resignation. As the expiry of the assembly's term approached, the PAP was initially split on whether to capture power but Lee chose to proceed. While picking the candidates, Lee deliberately chose people from different racial and education backgrounds to repair

6954-480: The first child of Lee Chin Koon , a Semarang -born Singaporean, and Chua Jim Neo , at 92 Kampong Java Road in Singapore, then part of the British Empire . Both of Lee's parents were English-educated third-generation Straits Chinese , with his paternal side being of Hakka descent from Dabu County . He was named 'Kuan Yew', meaning 'light and brightness', alternately meaning 'bringing great glory to one's ancestors'. Lee's paternal grandfather Lee Hoon Leong, who

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7068-420: The first time and actively campaigned for a friend, David Widdicombe in Totnes constituency, driving Widdicombe around in a lorry and delivering several speeches on his behalf. Before returning to Singapore, Lee dropped his English name, Harry. Notwithstanding, even until the end of his life, old friends and relatives referred to him as Harry. Lee and his wife returned to Singapore in August 1950 on board

7182-481: The first time. Lee also spearheaded several 'mobilisation campaigns' to clean the city, introduced air-conditioning to government offices, and slashed the salaries of civil servants. The last act provoked anger from the sector, which Lee justified as necessary to balance the budget. In February 1960, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) superseded the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) and assumed responsibility of public housing . With strong government support,

7296-425: The former Labour Front government and appointed five of its leaders, including Lim Chin Siong, as parliamentary secretaries lacking political power. Lee clashed further with Lim when the government sought to create a centralised labour union in the first half of 1960. Trouble also arose from former mayor and Minister of National Development Ong Eng Guan , who Lee had appointed in recognition of Ong's contribution to

7410-453: The history of China and Southeast Asia. He has studied and written about the Chinese diaspora , but he has objected to the use of the word diaspora to describe the migration of Chinese from China because both it mistakenly implies that all overseas Chinese are the same and has been used to perpetuate fears of a " Chinese threat ", under the control of the Chinese government. An expert on the Chinese tianxia ("all under heaven") concept, he

7524-435: The history of the Chinese world order, overseas Chinese, and Chinese migratory experience". The Straits Times reported that the Tang Prize Foundation praised his "unique approach to understanding China by scrutinising its long and complex relation with its southern neighbours". The organisation, which is based in Taiwan, mentioned that his work has "significantly enriched the explanation of the Chinese people's changing place in

7638-439: The isolation of the club from political parties, their broad concept of socialism and the diverse ideologies under one consensus that is against western aggregation and imperialism and for civil rights and democracy. Loh argued that, except for the initial year of the club and the period of Tommy Koh's stewardship, the Club adopted a Marxian form of socialism; however, it was not a front for the MCP (Malaya Communist Party). There

7752-432: The labour movement. In due course, Lee represented nearly fifty trade unions and associations against the British authorities on a pro bono basis. The disputes often centered around wages and Laycock eventually requested Lee to cease taking on such cases as it was hurting the firm. In May 1954, the left-wing University Socialist Club published an article 'Aggression in Asia' in the club's magazine The Fajar , and

7866-515: The lead counsel in the case and Lee Kuan Yew who was at that time a young lawyer, and Tann Wee Tiong assist him as the junior counsel. The eight members of the Fajar editorial board who participated in the trial are shown as below. James Puthucheary (honors' year arts) Poh Soo Kai (3rd-year medicine) M.K. Rajakumar (4th-year medicine) Lam Khuan Kit (3rd-year arts) Kwa Boo Sun (3rd-year arts) P. Arudsothy (1st-year arts) Edwin Thumboo (1st-year arts) Thomas Varkey (1st-year arts) The actual number of

7980-441: The leftist leaders on 22 August and Lee was restored as secretary-general on 20 October. He later blamed the attempted takeover on lax admission rules to the party and permanently distrusted the leftists thereafter. On 23 November 1958, the party constitution was amended to implement a cadre system. The right to vote in party elections and run for office were revoked from ordinary party members, whom now had to seek approval from

8094-412: The legislative assembly and opened 25 of 32 seats for direct contest in the upcoming 1955 election . The PAP and Labour Front , led by Lee and David Marshall respectively, both criticised the concessions as "inadequate". The PAP faced manpower constraints but decided to prioritise resources and contest four seats as a protest gesture. In a rally speech, Lee said he chose the Tanjong Pagar division as it

8208-580: The magazine issues by the club which was mainly circulated within the campus known as the organ of the Socialist Club adopted the name of Fajar (Fajar means "dawn" in Arabic). In March, the first issue of Fajar was produced. In May 1954, the members of the Fajar editorial board were arrested for publishing an allegedly seditious article named "Aggression in Asia". However, after three days of the trial, Fajar members were released. English Queen's Counsel D.N. Pritt acted as

8322-526: The medical and arts students held a debate in the lounge of the Road Hostel, proposing the concept of a general political debating club. On 21 February 1953, the inaugural meeting of the club was held. During the meeting, the proposal to call the club as a socialist club was adopted. The members of the Central Working Committee (CWC) were elected; Wang Gungwu was elected as the first president of

8436-506: The meeting as a British endorsement of Lim and accused it as a plot against his government. On 13 August, Lim founded the Barisan Sosialis and became its secretary-general, with 35 of 51 branches of the PAP defecting. Lee anticipated a Barisan win in the next election and saw 'independence through merger' as the only means for the PAP to retain power. Beginning on 13 September 1961, Lee gave twelve multilingual radio speeches outlining

8550-568: The name, ideology, and policies of the party they wanted to create at 38 Oxley Road . The People's Action Party (PAP) was inaugurated on 21 November 1954 at the Victoria Memorial Hall . As the party still lacked members, trade union leaders rounded up an estimated audience of 800 to 1,500 supporters. Lee had also invited Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tan Cheng Lock , presidents of the United Malays National Organisation and Malayan Chinese Association . In his inaugural speech, Lee denounced

8664-566: The new Leader of the Opposition. Any man in Singapore who wants to carry the Chinese-speaking people with him cannot afford to be anti-Communist. The Chinese are very proud of China. If I had to choose between colonialism and communism, I would vote for communism and so would the great majority. Lee to an Australian journalist a week before the riot On 23 April 1955, workers from the Hock Lee Amalgamated Bus Company began

8778-447: The new government's anti-colonial zeal. As part of an 'anti-yellow culture' drive, Lee banned jukeboxes and pinball machines, while the police under Home Affairs Minister Ong Pang Boon raided pubs and pornography publications. The government cracked down on secret societies , prostitution and other illegal activities, with TIME magazine later reporting that a full week passed without "kidnapping, extortion or gangland rumble(s)" for

8892-406: The next general election. As the 1957 City Council election in December approached, a Hokkien-speaking candidate, Ong Eng Guan , became the PAP's new face to the Chinese electorate. The 32-seat city council's functions were restricted to up-keeping public amenities within city limits, but party leaders decided to contest the election as a "dry run" for the upcoming general election. Lee limited

9006-501: The party's image of being run by intellectuals. In the 1959 general election held on 30 May 1959, the PAP won a landslide victory with 43 of the 51 seats, though with only 53.4% of the popular vote which Lee noted. The PAP's victory reportedly created a dilemma within the 12-member CEC as there was no formal process in place to choose a prime minister-elect. A vote was purportedly held between Lee and Ong Eng Guan and after both men received six votes, party chairman Toh Chin Chye cast

9120-435: The party) as immature and unreliable by the standards of them". In the progress of shaping the new nation, multitudinous student organizations made the contribution to this historical period despite their diverse beliefs and political views (Loh 21). In the mid-1960s, the student politics represented the large-scale convergence of the student organizations regardless their educational background. Both English-educated groups and

9234-456: The party. The Barisan lambasted Lee for securing only 15 seats in the Malaysian parliament for Singapore in contrast to North Borneo (16) and Sarawak (24), despite both having a combined population well below Singapore's 1.7 million. Singapore citizens would also be categorised as "nationals" and not be granted Malaysian citizenship. On 6 December, the legislative assembly voted 33–0 in favour of

9348-430: The performances. Lee also introduced the People's Association , a government-linked organisation to run community centers and youth clubs, with its leaders trained to spread the PAP's ideology. Youth unemployment was alleviated by the establishment of work brigades. Lee took measures to secure his position in the aftermath of the 1957 party elections. In 1959, he delayed the release of leftist PAP members arrested under

9462-475: The ruling Progressive Party captured only four seats, shocking both the British establishment and its opposition. Lee defeated his competitors and won Tanjong Pagar, with the PAP winning three of their four contested seats. He pledged to work with Marshall and the new Labour Front government. As independent member Ahmad Ibrahim joined PAP following the election, PAP had 4 members in the Assembly and thus Lee became

9576-627: The school. His subsequent university studies at Raffles College were disrupted by the onset of World War II in Asia, with the school being converted into a medical facility in 1941. The war arrived in December of that year and following the British surrender in February 1942, the Japanese occupation of Singapore began. Lee was amongst the Chinese men rounded up by the Japanese Sook Ching operation. By his own account, he feared getting caught by

9690-430: The seat. Lee assumed responsibility for the two by-election defeats and submitted his resignation to party chairman Toh Chin Chye on 17 July. Toh rejected it and upheld Lee's mandate. Lee moved a motion of confidence in his own government in the early hours of 21 July after a thirteen-hour debate which had begun the preceding day, narrowly surviving it with 27 "Ayes", 8 "Noes" and 16 abstentions. The PAP now commanded

9804-571: The sentences, though the case enhanced Lee's reputation as a "left-wing lawyer" and marked his first involvement with the Chinese intelligentsia. During his studies in Britain, Lee met Goh Keng Swee and Toh Chin Chye via the Malayan Forum. The forum sought to promote an independent Malaya which included Singapore and met at 44 Bryanston Square in London. Lee and his contemporaries deliberately avoided

9918-531: The state government. Lim Chin Siong and his supporters saw Lee's ceding control of internal security—then controlled by the Internal Security Council with British, Malayan, Singaporean representatives—to the federal government as a threat as Tunku was convinced they were communists. In a meeting with British Commissioner General Lord Selkirk , Selkirk reaffirmed that the British would not suspend Singapore's constitution should Lee be voted out. Lee saw

10032-428: The student activities. Thus C. M. Turnbull argued it was a landmark recording the end of student activism. The role of the club to connect different groups of diverse backgrounds was highly-visible in numerous activities in which it participated. Without a direct impact on the political area, the club took advantages of its forums, magazine and seminars to speak out the voice of people of all social stratum. For most of

10146-404: The student editors were charged with sedition. Lee became junior counsel to Denis Pritt . The court quashed the charges and the two counsel gained a reputation through the trial, with Lee thereafter becoming a "major leader" of the movement against British rule. During the same year, Lee also appealed on behalf of the students arrested during the 13 May incident . The colonial government upheld

10260-488: The target of it were English and English-educated intellectuals respectively (99). They also appealed to the English-speaking groups to sacrifice their vested interest for a national identity. The club, based on its socialist thinking, made a significant contribution to the progress of decolonization by achieving the coalition of the diverse group against colonialism in its way (103). The book of Fajar generation memorises

10374-410: The tie-breaking vote for Lee. When interviewed nearly five decades later, Toh and one other party member recalled the vote, but Lee and several others denied the account. Lee was summoned by Governor William Goode to form a new government on 1 June, to which he requested the release of arrested PAP members. On 3 June, Singapore became a self-governing state, ending 140 years of direct British rule. Lee

10488-413: The topic of forming a political party to avoid charges of subversion , beginning work on forming a political party only after returning to Singapore. Lee had sought to build support among the English-educated, Malay, and Indian communities by taking on cases against the British authorities. In the course of his work, Lee became acquainted with the journalist Sinnathamby Rajaratnam ; Abdul Samad Ismail ,

10602-505: The trial, Lee was praised by all the Singaporeans as a diligent, trustworthy socialist lawyer who devoted himself into the national liberation endeavour against colonialism. With this cooperation, Lee gained the trust of several Club members involved in the trial; those people subsequently helped Lee to start the People's Action Party (PAP) in November 1954. The USC were involved in discussions on

10716-487: The twelve-members executive committee (Woodhull was vice-chairman, Lim Shee Pingon the committee, Lim Hock Siew was editor of the party magazine Plebeian). People like Philomen Oorijtham, Tan Jing Quee, Albert Lim Shee Ping and Sheng Nam Chim have the ordinary membership. In 1961, the Lee Kuan Yew's government's merger plan of "Malaysia" led to the split of Barisan Sosialis from the PAP. Those university socialists supported

10830-528: The understanding of Australians about him had been superficial". The 2020 Tang Prize in Sinology was awarded to Professor Wang Gungwu by the Tang Prize Foundation. According to the National University of Singapore, Professor Wang, who is "one of the world's foremost experts on the Chinese diaspora", was granted the prestigious award "in recognition of his trailblazing and dissecting insights on

10944-463: The use of Malay as the national language. In 1959 the club held a two-day seminar named the national language seminar to discuss the pros and cons of the use of Malay. Loh calls this "a modernist approach to engineering a new nation-state's unifying language". The seminar was the effort of the club to connect the English and non-English-educated community in Singapore. The language used during the seminar and

11058-458: The vote. Lee returned to London for the third and final talks in May 1958, where it was agreed that Singapore would assume self-governance with a Yang di-Pertuan Negara as head of state, with Britain retaining control of defence and foreign policy. The British House of Lords passed the State of Singapore Act on 24 July 1958, which received royal assent on 1 August, and would become law following

11172-579: The world, traditionally developed from an internalist perspective or relation to the West". Professor Chen Kuo-tung of Taiwan's top think-tank Academia Sinica, highlighting the significance of Professor Wang Gungwu's works that merited the award, said that "Professor Wang's research filled a gap in Sinology, which is the study of Chinese overseas". In April 2021, Wang Gungwu was granted the Distinguished Service Order in Singapore. Professor Wang, who

11286-627: The world, whilst mandating bilingualism in schools to preserve the students' mother tongue and ethnic identity . Lee stepped down as prime minister in 1990, but remained in the Cabinet under his successors, holding the appointments of Senior Minister until 2004, then Minister Mentor until 2011. He died of pneumonia on 23 March 2015, at the age of 91. In a week of national mourning , about 1.7 million residents and world leaders paid tribute to him at his lying-in-state at Parliament House and community tribute sites. An advocate for Asian values and

11400-595: The world. At age 91, Wang became one of the oldest people to win the Singapore Literature Prize, the other being literary pioneer Suratman Markasan. His memoir Home Is Where We Are, topped the English creative non-fiction category in 2022. Wang is a University Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and also Chairman of the Managing Board of the NUS's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy . He

11514-521: Was Lee Kuan Yew who arranged the service of D.N. Pritt(35). While accordingly to the Poh Soo Kai's reminiscence, it was a person named John Eber , a former leader of the Malayan Democratic Union offered the arrangement of the free legal services of D.N. Pritt to defend the students. The identity of the person who invited Pritt is still not clear based on the opposite narratives. However, there

11628-531: Was a "working class area" and that he did not want to represent "wealthy merchants or landlords". During the campaigning period, the British press labelled Lee as a " commissar " and accused the PAP of being a "communist-backed party". Democratic Party (DP) challenger Lam Thian also capitalised on Lee's inability to converse in Chinese. Lee's proposal for a multilingual debate was never reciprocated by Thian, though he eventually made his maiden Chinese speech after several hours of coaching. On polling day, 2 April,

11742-657: Was a founding member of the University Socialist Club and its founding president in 1953. He holds a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies , University of London (1957) for his thesis The structure of power in North China during the Five Dynasties . He taught at the University of Malaya (in both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur ). He was one of the founders of the Malaysian political party Gerakan , but he

11856-574: Was also Chairman of International Advisory Council in Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman . Wang discussed the demise of the Qing dynasty in China's Century of Humiliation . Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew GCMG CH SPMJ DK (born Harry Lee Kuan Yew ; 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), often referred to by his initials LKY , was a Singaporean statesman and lawyer who served as

11970-544: Was also the founding Chairman of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS and the former Chairman of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute and East Asian Institute (EAI), was acknowledged for his important capacity in "developing world-class research institutions in Singapore". The award also recognised his publication of "pioneering works on the history of China, South-east Asia, and East Asia, as well as

12084-481: Was an effective and stimulant result for the members to propagate the ideas of socialism in Singapore, and even through the work of the Pan Malayan Students Federation to stir waves in Malaya. After the trial, the passionate Club started to target the non-university students as well to expand the influence of its talked and forums. On the other hand, the trial also affected the organization structure of

12198-673: Was considered prosperous with a high social standing compared to recent immigrants and had the means to hire servants. During the Great Depression the family fortunes declined considerably, though Lee's father retained his job at Shell. Later in life, Lee described his father as a man with a nasty temper and credited his mother with holding the family together amidst her husband's gambling addiction. In 1930, Lee enrolled at Telok Kurau English School where he spent six years of his primary education. Attending Raffles Institution in 1935, Lee did poorly in his first two years but later topped

12312-645: Was described as "especially westernised", had worked on British ships as a purser , and hence gave Lee the Western name 'Harry'. While the family spoke English as its first language, Lee also learned Malay. Lee would have three brothers and one sister, all of whom lived to old age. Lee was not close to his father, who worked as a storekeeper within the Shell Oil Company and had a gambling addiction. His mother Chua would often stand up against her husband for his poor financial management and parenting skills. The family

12426-421: Was introduced to W. S. Thatcher , Censor of Fitzwilliam House. He was admitted into the following year's Lent term and matriculated in January 1947, reading law at Fitzwilliam College . Prior to his departure from Singapore, Lee had begun a relationship with Kwa, whom he had kept in contact during the war. They married in secret at Stratford-upon-Avon in December. Lee achieved a first class result in both

12540-600: Was not personally directly involved in the party's activities. In 1965, he chaired a Committee to review the curriculum of Nanyang University. The Committee reported in May 1965. Meanwhile, in August 1965, Singapore separated from the Federation of Malaysia as an independent republic. In September 1965, the committee was released and the university accepted the recommendations, triggering students protests, petitions, and boycotts of classes and examinations. In 1968 he went to Canberra to become Professor of Far Eastern History in

12654-500: Was sworn in as Prime Minister of Singapore on 5 June at City Hall , along with the rest of his Cabinet . Lee's first speech as prime minister to a 50,000-strong audience at the Padang sought to dampen his supporters' euphoria of the PAP's electoral win. In the first month of Lee taking power, Singapore experienced an economic slump as foreign capital fell and Western businesses and expatriates left for Kuala Lumpur in Malaya, fearing

12768-744: Was the Director (1997-2006) and Chairman (2006-19) of the East Asian Institute in Singapore. Wang was a Distinguished Professorial Fellow at the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute where he was chairman of the board of Trustees from 1 November 2002 to 31 October 2019. He is also a Professor Emeritus of the Australian National University and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities , elected in 1970 and serving as president from 1980 to 1983. Wang

12882-626: Was the first to suggest its application to the contemporary world as an American Tianxia . Wang was born in Surabaya , Indonesia to ethnic Chinese parents from Taizhou, Jiangsu and grew up in Ipoh , Malaysia . He completed his secondary education in Anderson School , an English medium school in Ipoh. Wang studied history in the University of Malaya , where he received his bachelor's and master's degrees. He

12996-484: Was viewed as a pro-communist organization in the documentation of Operation Coldstore which happened on 2 February 1963 (156). However many scholars or writers defended USC in various ways. Poh Soo Kai (2010) argued the club was labelled based on the shallow and oversimplified logic of "we were genuine and sincere so were communists then we were labelled as communists". He also defended this by giving numerous reasons including Lee Kuan Yew 's friendship with Sydney Woodhull,

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