History
What did independence mean for Singapore?
Responses and feelings of the people who went through independence
Some of the Ministers were shocked, crestfallen, unexpected. Some of them felt that the situation was getting more tense day by day. A great disappointment was shown on many people's faces because they had been fighting for Malaysia all along, since the starting of PAP everyone was heart broken, some even stated that it was the crushing of their dreams because many believed in merger and the unity of two territories. It broke everything they stood for, even for Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Many feared how they could move on without Malaysia.
Problems that Singapore went through after gaining independence
For Mr Lee Kuan Yew, he faced many problems such as getting international recognition for Singapore's independence, defence for the country, the economy. Singapore's toughest challenge was in security. Many bombings by Indonesian saboteurs took place in Singapore. As many as 37 bombings occurred. The most serious incident occurred on 10 March 1965 when a bomb exploded in MacDonald House, killing three people and injuring 33 others. This was the need for establishment of the Ministry of the Interior and Defence.
Some details from relevant sources to support description or explanation
Singapore separated from Malaysia and was on its own on August 9, 1965. These were the responses and feelings from different people during the independence. Political leaders like our Mr Lee Kuan Yew had hoped all his life for a merge with Malaysia. And he felt it was a moment of anguish.(Source 4 Pg126 coursebook). Some of the local people were sad as they were not able to go back to Malaysia.(source9 pg 129 coursebook). Response from other countries. Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman wished Singapore a farewell and bless Singapore that it would be able to find what it wanted, and would tender help (source 17 pg132 coursebook).
Challenges Singapore faced after gaining independence. These were the responses and feelings from some of the people after independence. Political leaders, Mr Lee Kuan Yew had to sort out many important things for the country like defence and economy. (source24 pg135 coursebook). Having the need to establish relations with other countries. Mr Lee Kuan Yew had to design policies to ensure that Singapore stayed peacefully in Southeast Asia with our neighbours.(source 28 pg 144 coursebook). Economic survival was another issue.30,000 civilian workers had the possibility of losing their jobs, hundreds more would be affected.( source 30 pg 147 coursebook).