Quarantine was formally introduced as a public health control measure in Singapore in 1868. It was an important method of disease control before the widespread adoption of vaccination and antimicrobial therapy. As a cosmopolitan port settlement, Singapore was particularly ...
The first Cooling-off Day was implemented for Singapore’s general election in 2011. No campaigning activities are allowed on Cooling-off Day, which is designated as the day before polling day to give voters time to think rationally and reflect on the issues that ...
The Corrective Work Order (CWO), which came into effect on 1 November 1992, is an amendment to the anti-littering law. It was a punitive measure that requires the offender to clean up the community instead of paying a fine. The first CWOs were performed on 21 February ...
In 2007, the government reviewed the Penal Code and introduced the Penal Code (Amendment) Bill which proposed significant changes to the law. The topic that caught much attention involved section 377 which prohibited oral and anal sex between consenting adults. ...
The Internal Security Act (ISA) is a law that enables the government to swiftly act against what it deems to be threats to national security by employing various measures. The law is carried out by the Internal Security Department (ISD), a body under the purview ...
The Factories Ordinance, 1958 (Ord. 41 of 1958), was a piece of legislation that sought to set minimum standards for the health, safety and welfare of workers in factories. In 1960, factory workers numbered about 120,000 and made up one-quarter of Singapore’s total ...
The Parliamentary Elections (Election Advertising) Regulations is an official set of legislated rules and guidelines that regulates the use of posters and banners, as well as online advertising platforms, during the periods of political campaigning in the General ...
The Malays think of death as part of a life cycle predestined by God. Malay Muslim funerals follow specific Islamic rites in accordance to syariah (religious laws), and are solemn and dignified affairs. The body of the deceased must be treated with honour and reverence, ...
On 26 November 2012, 171 bus drivers from public-transport service provider SMRT Corporation Limited (SMRT) refused to go to work, and 88 were absent from work the next day. It was the first strike in Singapore since the Hydril strike in 1986. The protestors, ...
The Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act, 1968, was a piece of legislation that sought to define clearly the management rights of employers over employees through changes to the Industrial Relations Ordinance, 1960. The act was passed along with the Employment ...
On 18 July 1967, Britain announced that it would withdraw its troops from Singapore by the mid-1970s. Six months later, the deadline was brought forward to 1971. The sudden pullout of British forces presented serious problems to Singapore’s defence and economic ...
The chief justice of Singapore presides over the judiciary – a system of courts that upholds the law and ensures justice is accessible to all. Besides being responsible for the overall functioning of the Singapore judiciary, he or she plays a role in numerous appointments ...
The Straits Times strike arose from a dispute over the terms of reinstatement of a dismissed worker. The strike was considered illegal as no prior notice was given as required by law. The Straits Times management subsequently dismissed the workers who took part ...
Tommy Koh Thong Bee (b. 12 November 1937, Singapore–) is an ambassador-at-large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a position he has held since 1990, and a professor of law at the National University of Singapore. Koh is a veteran negotiator and diplomat who is ...
Daren Shiau Vee Lung (b. 1971, Singapore–) is a writer, lawyer and an environmental activist. He won the Singapore Literature Prize Commendation Award in 1998 for his debut novel, Heartland. Shiau also received the National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award in ...
The Singapore Volunteer Corps (SVC) was a local militia unit, which began in 1854 as the Singapore Volunteer Rifle Corps. Created in response to the Hokkien-Teochew Riots of 1854, the corps was to assist the local constabulary in maintaining law and order in the ...
The Keep Singapore Clean campaign was one of Singapore’s first national campaigns as an independent nation. Launched on 1 October 1968 by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the month-long campaign aimed to make Singapore the cleanest and greenest city in the region ...
Wee Chong Jin (b. 28 September 1917, Georgetown, Penang–d. 5 June 2005) was the first Singaporean and Asian to head Singapore’s Supreme Court judiciary when he was appointed as chief justice in 1963. He held the position until his retirement in 1990, making him ...
An Advance Medical Directive (AMD) is a legal document signed by a person, in advance, to indicate that he/she does not wish to have any extraordinary life-sustaining treatment to prolong his/her life in the event he/she becomes terminally ill and unconscious, ...
The Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) was launched on 2 June 1975. Designed to reduce traffic congestion in the Central Business District (CBD), the key concept underlying the ALS was that a special supplementary licence had to be obtained at a cost if a motorist wanted ...