On July 10, Singaporeans will be able to choose their government. Nowadays, this right is taken for granted. But, a few generations ago, people had to fight hard for it. We remember the pioneers who made elections possible.
When David Marshall was a schoolboy, a Chinese classmate was being teased by an American boy, who called him racist names. Young David rose
to his friend’s defence – and ended up fighting with the American boy. He was hauled up by the school principal, who advised him not to get involved next time. The British principal explained to David, who was a Jew, “God created some people who are different to others; after all, Marshall, you wouldn’t want to marry a Chinese or Indian or Malay would you?”
This incident taught David a lesson – but not the lesson that his principal
wanted him to learn. David realised from his principal’s words that the
British believed that they were superior to the local people. The principal
assumed that David, too, would look down on the Chinese, Malays and Indians of Singapore.
The man didn’t know David Marshall.
Young David believed in fairness and justice, and would grow up fighting for these principles. He, Lee Kuan Yew and others of that generation had to struggle for what we take for granted today: Singaporeans’ right to decide how Singapore should be run.
Up to the early 1960s, Singapore was ruled by the British. This is called colonialism, when one country gets to decide how another place is run. Colonialism brought about many problems, because the British rulers weren’t really in touch with the needs of ordinary Singaporeans. Under the British, even a good education wasn’t enough. Local Singaporeans were discriminated against at the workplace.
Discrimination is when a person is treated differently because of what he or she is, rather than what he or she can do. For example, British and other European workers were paid much more than a local Singaporean doing the same job. When Mr Marshall qualified to become a lawyer, the first firm he joined gave him a salary that was less than the clerk’s. This was because
the clerk was European, while Mr Marshall was a Jewish Singaporean.
Giving Singaporeans a voice
David Marshall was one of the Singaporeans who, after the end of the Japanese Occupation, struggled for a new Singapore in which every citizen mattered, and every citizen had a voice. Lee Kuan Yew was another. Mr Marshall and Mr Lee belonged to different teams, called political parties, and quarreled over many things. However, they absolutely agreed that the new Singapore had to be ruled by the people of Singapore.
The government would have to be made up of Singapore citizens, chosen by their fellow citizens through elections. Only this form of government, called democracy, was acceptable.
It took many years of debate and struggle to achieve this. After World War Two, the British government in London had agreed to grant independence to its colonies, including Singapore. However, the British were in no hurry. The British did not believe that Singaporeans were capable of ruling
themselves.
Even when they did allow Singaporeans to hold elections in 1955, there was not much power granted. When David Marshall won the election, he was not even given an office to work in – and he was the Chief Minister of Singapore! He only got an office for himself and his staff when he threatened to embarrass the British by setting up a desk outdoors at Empress Place.
The problems did not stop there. Mr Marshall complained that the local colonial governor, John Nicoll, who had not been elected by the people, often ignored him and did whatever the British wanted.
It took many more years before the dreams of David Marshall, Lee Kuan Yew and others materialised. Thanks to their efforts, adults who care about your future will get to vote on July 10.
This article and photos were originally published in 2015.
How elections work
