Singaporean general election, 1955
Encyclopedia
The 1955 Legislative Assembly General Elections was held in Singapore
on 2 April 1955 to elect twenty-five elective seats on the Legislative Assembly
. Nomination day was on 28 February 1955.
A landmark election in the colonial history of Singapore
, it was the first time a majority of the seats were to be contested as mandated by the newly enacted Rendel Constitution
, rather than be appointed by the colonial authorities. The new Rendel Constitution was written after recommendations by a committee to grant local citizens more autonomy, headed by Sir George Rendel
, were passed. Locals would share executive power with the colonial authorities and there would be a Chief Minister among elected legislators. Elected seats were increased again, this time to form the majority in the legislature, with the British government appointing a lesser seven seats. The Governor of Singapore and Colonial Secretary posts were replaced by a Chief Secretary, who inherited the power to appoint four nominated Assembly Members. Also scrapped were the seats of the Solicitor-General, two Directors, two Ex-Officios, the three commercial organisations and the City Council representative. For the first time, political parties were permitted to adopt a standard party symbol for all their candidates and independents to select theirs instead of balloting for them. PP, representing the English-speaking bourgeois and DP, the Mandarin-speaking, fielded the largest number of candidates each. SMU joined the UMNO-MCA alliance after leaving three-party LF alliance, which had consolidated into a single party. LP was a spent force as both AMs had left the party, with one moving to LF and one going independent. A seat was earlier vacated due to the demise of PP's popular Dr C. J. P. Paglar, who died from a stroke. To the chagrin of the British, whom had anticipated a PP victory and its leader, Tan Chye Cheng, to emerge as Chief Minister, it was the Labour Front that garnered the most seats and its chairman, David Marshall, thus became Singapore's first Chief Minister. LF formed a coalition with the UMNO-MCA-SMU alliance but remained short of a majority. To rectify this, the British appointed two LF members among the four nominated seats. In its debut election, the newly formed People's Action Party
, led by lawyer and former Progressive Party election agent Lee Kuan Yew, chose to field only a handful of candidates to protest against the Rendel Constitution and became the main opposition party after winning nearly all its contested seats.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
on 2 April 1955 to elect twenty-five elective seats on the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly of Singapore
The Legislative Assembly of Singapore was the legislature of the government of Singapore from 1955 to 1965 and the predecessor of the Parliament of Singapore. The Rendel Constitution, proposed in 1953, sought to give the local population more self-governance as the Merdeka independence movement grew...
. Nomination day was on 28 February 1955.
A landmark election in the colonial history of Singapore
History of Singapore
The history of Singapore dates to the 11th century. The island rose in importance during the 14th century under the rule of Srivijayan prince Parameswara and became an important port until it was destroyed by Acehnese raiders in 1613. The modern history of Singapore began in 1819 when Englishman...
, it was the first time a majority of the seats were to be contested as mandated by the newly enacted Rendel Constitution
Constitution of Singapore
The Constitution of Singapore is the supreme law of Singapore and it is a codified constitution.The constitution cannot be amended without the support of more than two-thirds of the members of parliament on the second and third readings . The president may seek opinion on constitutional issues...
, rather than be appointed by the colonial authorities. The new Rendel Constitution was written after recommendations by a committee to grant local citizens more autonomy, headed by Sir George Rendel
George William Rendel
Sir George William Rendel was a British diplomat. Rendel, the son of the engineer George Wightwick Rendel was educated at Downside School and at Queen's College, Oxford, graduating in Modern History in 1911....
, were passed. Locals would share executive power with the colonial authorities and there would be a Chief Minister among elected legislators. Elected seats were increased again, this time to form the majority in the legislature, with the British government appointing a lesser seven seats. The Governor of Singapore and Colonial Secretary posts were replaced by a Chief Secretary, who inherited the power to appoint four nominated Assembly Members. Also scrapped were the seats of the Solicitor-General, two Directors, two Ex-Officios, the three commercial organisations and the City Council representative. For the first time, political parties were permitted to adopt a standard party symbol for all their candidates and independents to select theirs instead of balloting for them. PP, representing the English-speaking bourgeois and DP, the Mandarin-speaking, fielded the largest number of candidates each. SMU joined the UMNO-MCA alliance after leaving three-party LF alliance, which had consolidated into a single party. LP was a spent force as both AMs had left the party, with one moving to LF and one going independent. A seat was earlier vacated due to the demise of PP's popular Dr C. J. P. Paglar, who died from a stroke. To the chagrin of the British, whom had anticipated a PP victory and its leader, Tan Chye Cheng, to emerge as Chief Minister, it was the Labour Front that garnered the most seats and its chairman, David Marshall, thus became Singapore's first Chief Minister. LF formed a coalition with the UMNO-MCA-SMU alliance but remained short of a majority. To rectify this, the British appointed two LF members among the four nominated seats. In its debut election, the newly formed People's Action Party
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
, led by lawyer and former Progressive Party election agent Lee Kuan Yew, chose to field only a handful of candidates to protest against the Rendel Constitution and became the main opposition party after winning nearly all its contested seats.