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Singapore: 50 Constitutional Moments That Defined a Nation
Singapore inherited a Westminster-style constitution from the British who ruled the island for 140 years. Since Singapore’s independence in 1965, this constitution has been amended and augmented many times wherein unique institutions — such as the Elected Presidency and Group Representation Constitutions — were created. All these changes occurred against the backdrop of Singapore’s special geographical location, multiethnic population and vulnerability to externalities.
This collection of short essays describes and explains 50 Constitutional Moments — major infl exion points in the trajectory of Singapore’s constitutional development. The authors have selected each of these ‘moments’ on the basis of their impact in the forging of the modern constitutional order.
These easy-to-read essays introduce the reader to what the authors consider to be the most important episodes that have shaped the Singapore Constitution.
This collection of short essays describes and explains 50 Constitutional Moments — major infl exion points in the trajectory of Singapore’s constitutional development. The authors have selected each of these ‘moments’ on the basis of their impact in the forging of the modern constitutional order.
These easy-to-read essays introduce the reader to what the authors consider to be the most important episodes that have shaped the Singapore Constitution.
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 7, 2016
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About the author
Kevin Y.L. Tan
20 books5 followersKevin YL Tan is an Adjunct Professor at both the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University. A specialist in constitutional law, legal history and human rights, he has written and edited some 40 books on the law, history and politics of Singapore, including Voting in Change: Politics of Singapore’s 2011 General Election (with Terence Lee, Ethos Books, 2011).
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 22, 2018
One of the most fun things about reading this book: one of the co-authors is Thio Li-Ann, who is frequently mentioned in her role in shaping constitutional moments.
It's an easy book to read, with each chapter a bite-sized chunks. I liked how it described how judicial and political attitudes changed over time.
Interesting points:
1. Jurisdictional epochs of the Supreme Court - the Wee judgments were functional and workmanlike; Chief Justice Yong Pung How "brought a lifetime of corporate experience and expertise to the bench... he succeeded in transforming the judiciary into one of the most dynamic and efficient in the world."
2. When discussing Chng Suan Tze v Minister of Home Affairs [1988], the authors mention that "the case is insightful in revealing what is considered a threat prejudicial to security concerns at different stages of Singapore's development".
3. That "One reason why the religious knowledge school education programme was abruptly terminated after only four years in 1989 was because of reports that such classes had become hotbeds of evangelism."
I wish there was a citation for this; I would have loved to read further.
4. The Maintenance of Religious Harmony White Paper in general - and how it lists "a set of guidelines in relation to how to conduct yourself in public square debates, distinguishing between ordinary individuals and religious leaders."
5. At the start of Chapter 39: "All constitutions will contain three elements in relation to Power, Justice and Culture. Constitutions structure power and govern how this is exercised; they may contain principles of justice which are premised on universality; they will also have elements that relate to culture which tends towards the particularistic, and relates to common values or perspectives."
6. In the shared values white paper, one of the values was "consensus instead of contention". Part of that was the idea of a harmonious working relationship. Contrast that with the idea of politics - where an MP has to "speak up" in parliament, thereby possibly generating contention (American bipartisanship comes to mind).
7. Again, touching on the Shared Values White Paper - that it "was certainly the domestic expression of the "Asian values" challenge to international human rights law which was a central discourse in international relations in the 1990s. Singapore was one of the major protagonist of an alternative conception of law and development that rested on two main pillars: firstly, that Asian values were more group-oriented than individualistic; secondly, the "economics first" thesis was that civil and political rights should be restrained in the early stages of development, to curb over-exuberant democratic excesses, and to ensure political stability which was integral to attain economic take-off and developmental growth."
8. On the tudung controversy, Malaysia made comments on Singapore's policy on the tudung. As the book describes it:
9. In dealing with Jemaah Islamiyah, the authors described how the Government adopted a more relational approach (as opposed to a more coercive regulatory method), culminating in a Declaration of Religious Harmony.
10. There's a mix of conciliatory and coercive approaches described in the book. I wish there was an overview of how this had changed throughout the year - though, to be fair, this might be closer to the realm of political science.
It's an easy book to read, with each chapter a bite-sized chunks. I liked how it described how judicial and political attitudes changed over time.
Interesting points:
1. Jurisdictional epochs of the Supreme Court - the Wee judgments were functional and workmanlike; Chief Justice Yong Pung How "brought a lifetime of corporate experience and expertise to the bench... he succeeded in transforming the judiciary into one of the most dynamic and efficient in the world."
2. When discussing Chng Suan Tze v Minister of Home Affairs [1988], the authors mention that "the case is insightful in revealing what is considered a threat prejudicial to security concerns at different stages of Singapore's development".
3. That "One reason why the religious knowledge school education programme was abruptly terminated after only four years in 1989 was because of reports that such classes had become hotbeds of evangelism."
I wish there was a citation for this; I would have loved to read further.
4. The Maintenance of Religious Harmony White Paper in general - and how it lists "a set of guidelines in relation to how to conduct yourself in public square debates, distinguishing between ordinary individuals and religious leaders."
5. At the start of Chapter 39: "All constitutions will contain three elements in relation to Power, Justice and Culture. Constitutions structure power and govern how this is exercised; they may contain principles of justice which are premised on universality; they will also have elements that relate to culture which tends towards the particularistic, and relates to common values or perspectives."
6. In the shared values white paper, one of the values was "consensus instead of contention". Part of that was the idea of a harmonious working relationship. Contrast that with the idea of politics - where an MP has to "speak up" in parliament, thereby possibly generating contention (American bipartisanship comes to mind).
7. Again, touching on the Shared Values White Paper - that it "was certainly the domestic expression of the "Asian values" challenge to international human rights law which was a central discourse in international relations in the 1990s. Singapore was one of the major protagonist of an alternative conception of law and development that rested on two main pillars: firstly, that Asian values were more group-oriented than individualistic; secondly, the "economics first" thesis was that civil and political rights should be restrained in the early stages of development, to curb over-exuberant democratic excesses, and to ensure political stability which was integral to attain economic take-off and developmental growth."
8. On the tudung controversy, Malaysia made comments on Singapore's policy on the tudung. As the book describes it:
This was a departure from the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of a fellow ASEAN state which was reiterated in a Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs Statement. Malaysian politicians asserted they had a right to comment on the tudung issue as it involved Malays and Muslims in a nearby state. This is the typical posture of a "kin" state concerned with the treatment of a "kin" minority in another state, with the kinship tie stemming from a shared ethnicity and religion. This show the geopolitical and transborder dimension of thi issue, which could be a course of bilateral instability between states, where elements in one state assert a sort of spiritual protectorate over their fellow religionists in another state.
9. In dealing with Jemaah Islamiyah, the authors described how the Government adopted a more relational approach (as opposed to a more coercive regulatory method), culminating in a Declaration of Religious Harmony.
10. There's a mix of conciliatory and coercive approaches described in the book. I wish there was an overview of how this had changed throughout the year - though, to be fair, this might be closer to the realm of political science.
March 11, 2025
This book reminded me of how fragile a nation is and can be. There is a constant need to adjust and moderate. The work of building a nation is a work in process, we can never slack and take things for granted.
I am grateful for our founders who had shown much wisdom and courage in those difficult times. Many things could have gone wrong; many wrong decisions could have been made. Just look at the world, there are more failure than success stories.
This book should be an essential read for all Singaporeans.
I am grateful for our founders who had shown much wisdom and courage in those difficult times. Many things could have gone wrong; many wrong decisions could have been made. Just look at the world, there are more failure than success stories.
This book should be an essential read for all Singaporeans.
April 20, 2016
I read this book very, very slowly, about one chapter every few days. It is an extremely useful supplement to my work as a Civil servant where it is good that we know the vital legislative milestones of Singapore. I really enjoyed reading this as compared to other titles on the usual events in Singapore history. thank you for this book!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews