Singapore: Journey from quagmire to Asian dragon

50 years ago, Singapore was a small country with a large area covered by marshes, but the country transformed itself strongly to become the region's leading economy.

>> Campaign turns Singapore into a giant park

Simulate the Singapore scene in the wild.(Photo: National Museum of Singapore)

Merging and then separating from the Malaysian Federation, Singapore faces a series of difficulties and challenges when there are absolutely no natural resources . The mud covers most of the island area . However, according to the BBC, the policies of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew have made the region a leading regional economy, with rising skyscrapers closely aligned.

Life is difficult in the swamp

When the British arrived in Singapore in 1819, it was just a dense forest growing on the swamp, but this land was on a busy maritime trade route between India and China, so it quickly became a trade. bustling port. Singapore attracts immigrants from all over Asia, an important resource to help the lion island nation grow.

Singaporeans used to plant bananas to mark their territory.(Photo: BBC)

At first, the lives of immigrants met many difficulties. Workers must be in cramped, dirty houses. At one point, 1 million people lived in temporary wooden houses located all over the island. It is different from the beautiful, civilized streets that tourists can admire today.

Sharanjit Leyl is a person born and raised when Singapore is on the rise. However, the story of previous generations in the family helped Leyl imagine the difficult life in this land.

Before Singapore's independence, Leyl's grandparents, father and uncles lived in the 'Red Hill' area in central Singapore. They affirmed their land use rights by planting banana trees around their residence . Spread banana trees to keep their land from being invaded by others. But the house of the big family has 8 children as simple as a hut. All the people on the island live in the absence of constant clean water . However, they leaned on each other to overcome difficulties. The simple life with the sole goal of coexisting has helped the first inhabitants of the island exist.

Singapore transformed itself under Ly Quang Dieu

Police ensure security during clashes between groups of people.(Photo: Getty)

In 1959, Britain took the first step in the process of giving Singapore freedom by giving this land autonomy. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew and the People's Action Party won a resounding victory in the first general election. The non-linguistic people rushed down the road, attending a large-scale rally.

'We do not understand what he said but we think what he said is quite important because everyone is very interested. They always clapped after every word he said. We followed suit , too, 'said one of Leyl's sisters, who recalled the moment Mr. Ly made a mark on the hearts of Singaporeans.

In August 1963, Singapore joined the Malaysian Federation. However, this link quickly broke when the parties failed to reach an agreement to divide Singapore financial control. Racial tension led to riots among groups in 1964. One year later, Singapore separated from the Malaysian Federation.

These condominiums serve the accommodation needs of Singaporeans.(Photo: BBC)

This decision led Singapore to face a series of difficulties in the early independence period. Many people believe that this island nation will not exist. However, the great hope of the future and the policy of the Ly Quang Dieu government helped to start setting up the first bricks to build the infrastructure for the future of the city.

People sell land to the government to build specific houses, which are suitable for essential needs . These projects are managed by the Singapore Ministry of National Development to ensure that every Singaporean people are supported by the government to buy houses. This form of housing helps to improve the living conditions of the whole society.

Singapore's 'planning masters' have created these towns. It settled accommodation for tens of thousands of people who used to live in slums or old houses. In the 1970s and 1980s, Singaporeans were able to live in new clean water and toilets, creating a revolution for the land that used to be marshes.

In 1985, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew confirmed that Singapore has no homeless people, no longer encroaching on land or slums . Lion Island is no longer the ethnic community. People of Chinese, Malaysian and Indian descent live peacefully side by side with the thought that they are both Singaporeans.

The construction of a model country in Singapore has not stopped.The government launched polite propaganda campaigns, preventing public spitting or throwing garbage from high-rise buildings. The slogan "murderer of rubbish" appears everywhere to warn people living on the upper floors of apartments without throwing garbage because they can injure those living below.

Singapore today.(Photo: BBC)

However, Singapore's 'two-child stop' campaign in the 1960s and 1970s also proved to be too effective. It reduces birth rates in this country. Singapore officials issued a replacement decision in the 1980s but it was too late. The country is maintaining the lowest birth rate in Asia, forcing authorities to come up with immigration policies.

By the 1980s, all of Singapore's major problems were resolved by the Lee Kuan Yew government. The Lion Island Unemployment rate has dropped to a level that is not of concern while the crime rate is also very low. However, Singapore still applies death penalty to drug traffickers to reduce this type of crime.