SINGAPORE - Politics and Governance of Southeast Asia Flashcards
It is an island city-state situated at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, surrounded by Malaysia and Indonesia and with a land area of slightly more than 700 km2, and one of the 20 smallest states worldwide
Singapore
In 1819, the British established a trading post on the (?).
Temasek Island
In 1826, these four places became the “Strait Settlements,” which were under direct British control as a Crown colony from 1867 until 1947.
Singapore, Malacca, Penang, and Dinding
During its colonial period, Singapore’s economy was dominated by (?). Already in 1913, Singapore had the highest GDP per capita in all of Southeast Asia
entrepot trade
From 1942 to 1945, (?) occupied the city. Much like in other parts of Southeast Asia, their regime rule and repression kindled nationalist sentiments and political mobilization in the postwar years.
Japanese troops
In 1955, the first elections for a predominantly
elected (?) were held. This triggered the formation of the two political parties known as
elected legislative assembly
- People’s Action Party (PAP) and the Labour
Front
The political party provided Singapore’s first chief minister after the election.
Labour Front
In what year did Singapore adopt a new constitution and attain self-government?
1959
The People’s Action Party AP under its leader (?) decisively won the elections in May of the same year, and the party has remained in power until today.
Lee Kuan Yew
Negotiations between Singapore and the Federation of Malaya led to the union
of (?)—formerly British Northern Borneo—in
September 1963
Singapore, Malaya, Sarawak, and Sabah
TRUE OR FALSE:
Singapore joined the Federation under a set of special conditions, including wide-ranging political autonomy and relatively minor contributions to the federal budget
TRUE THE FIRE
Clashes between Chinese and Malays in the Singapore further strained relations with the federal government in (?).
Kuala Lumpur.
The governments in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur failed to conclude a mutual agreement about the distribution of (?) and for a (?). This resulted in the (?) of Singapore from the Federation on (?)
- distribution of tax revenues and for a common market
- expulsion
- August 9, 1965.
TRUE OR FALSE:
In the following three decades, Singapore became one of the most affluent and developed societies in Asia
FALSE
In the following FIVE decades, Singapore became one of the most affluent and developed societies in Asia
The (?) was created to secure pensions, housing development, and medical services, and is financed through a mandatory contribution paid by all Singaporean employees and self-employed citizens. All contributors can access
their money at (?) years of age, but the government has used the capital stock to finance its economic policies
-Central Provident Fund (CPF)
-55 yrs of age
The city-state appears to contradict the
assumptions of (?) theory, which states a causal link between economic development, social modernization, and democratization
Modernization theory
In fact, Singapore combines institutional trappings of democracy such as (?) with (?) political practices.
multiparty elections with authoritarian
political practices
TRUE OR FALSE:
In contrast to Malaysia, where opposition parties are in a position to challenge the ruling Barisan Nasional government, no opposition force in Singapore is able to threaten the hegemonic position of the People’s Action Party
TRUE THE FIRE
The characterization of Singapore’s political order as (?) emphasizes the fact that repression is of secondary importance for the longevity of PAP rule.
“soft authoritarianism”
Singapore’s constitution came into power in the year (?).It granted Singapore full autonomy in internal affairs as part of the (?)
- 1959
-British Commonwealth of Nations.
Singapore’s first Chief Minister (?) once described the constitutional text as the “untidiest and most confusing constitution
that any country has started life with”
David Marshall
The idea of David Marshall is due to two main factors.
- First, accession to and expulsion from Malaysia required several amendments, which are still part of the constitutional charter.
- Second, since the 1960s, parliament has constantly refined the constitution, amending the text some 38 times between 1965 and 2008
The constitution contains (?) parts and (?) articles as of July 2010.
14 parts and 204 articles
What parts of Singapore’s Constitution include the declaration of national sovereignty, recognition of the constitution as the
Supreme Law of the land (Art. 4), the amendment procedure, and a catalog of basic
rights (Art. 9–16).
Parts I to IV
What parts of Singapore’s Constitution determine the organization and powers of state organs, including the presidency (Art. 17–22o); the Council of Presidential Advisors (CPA, Art. 37a-37m); the Presidential Council for Minority Rights; the government, consisting of cabinet and prime minister (Art. 23–37); the unicameral parliament (Art. 38–67); and the judiciary (Art. 93–101).
Parts V to VIII
What parts of Singapore’s Constitution provide regulations on administration and public service (Art. 102–119);
Part IX
What parts of Singapore’s Constitution contains provisions on citizenship (Art. 128–141);
Part X
What parts of Singapore’s Constitution includes financial provisions.
Part XI (Art. 142–148h)
What parts of Singapore’s Constitution grants
parliament and president special powers against subversion and emergency powers.
Part XII
The final two parts of Singapore’s Constitution include general regulations concerning other things minority rights (Art. 152), the Muslim religion (Art. 153), as well as transitional
and closing regulations
Parts XIII (Art. 152–156) and XIV (Art. 157–163),
What article recognizes the rights of ethnic and religious minorities and the special status of
Malays as an indigenous group, but does not contain justiciable group entitlements.
Art. 152
TRUE OR FALSE:
Singapore’s constitution is inextricably shaped by Malay influences.
FALSE:
Singapore’s constitution is inextricably shaped by
BRITISH influences.
Following the tradition of (?) the executive is part of the legislature (Art. 38); until 1994, this council remained the court of final appeal (?)
-“Queen in Parliament”
-British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
Singapore follows the (?) model of parliamentarianism and concentrates political power in the cabinet and the office of the prime minister.
Westminster model of
TRUE OR FALSE:
Singapore has a written constitution that is granted a privileged status as the Supreme Law and is more difficult to change than other legislation.
TRUE THE FIRE
What are the two amendment procedures?
- First, two-thirds of the members of parliament can amend the constitution (Art. 5.2a).
- Second, the president can request a constitutional plebiscite if the amendment would affect fundamental liberties, individual regulations concerning the presidency, national sovereignty, or the process of dissolving parliament (Art. 5.3)
The fundamental liberties in Art. (?) through (?) are granted special protection.
Article 9 through 16
What article and act does the Constitution grant the Supreme Court the right to the judicial review of legislation?
Art. 93 and Supreme Court of Judicature Act
What article and part of the constitution preclude any judicial review of legislation that limits the freedom of expression, association, or assembly, the free exercise of religion, and the freedom of movement?
Art. 149 and Part XII of the constitution
Singapore had a (?) system of government.
parliamentary system of government.
Based on the constitutional position as well as the role and powers of the presidency relative to that of the prime minister and the parliament, it seems appropriate to consider Singapore a
case of (?)
semi-presidentialism
The (?) is head of state and a component of the legislative branch of government, while the (?) is the head of government which determines the general direction of the government.
-president
-prime minister
(?) and (?) are accountable to the president who can dismiss the prime minister by (?) but also collectively accountable to parliament.
-Prime minister and cabinet
- “acting in his discretion”