The Maintenance of Religious Harmony Bill was passed by Parliament in November 1990 with the aim of maintaining religious harmony and ensuring that religion is not exploited for any political or subversive purposes in Singapore. The Act also provides for the establishment ...

Religious Knowledge (RK) was introduced as a compulsory programme at the upper secondary levels in schools from 1984 to 1989. It replaced the Civics and Current Affairs programme in the school curriculum. The aim of the programme was to inculcate moral values in ...

Gan Eng Seng alias Yen Hsi K’un (b. 1844, Malacca, Malaysia–d. 9 September 1899, Singapore) was a Chinese ethnic leader, labour contractor, and a landed proprietor of early Singapore who contributed considerably to charities as well as hospitals and schools. He ...

Abraham Solomon (b. 1798?, Baghdad - d. 19 May 1884, Singapore) was a successful merchant and one of the earliest Jewish settlers in Singapore. He was a prominent leader in the Jewish community. Solomon Street, located in Boat Quay, was named after him.

Lim Peng Siang (b. 1872, Fujian, China–d. 1944, Singapore) was a Chinese merchant who made significant contributions to Singapore’s economic and social developments in the early 1900s. He was a prominent leader of the Chinese community and held key positions in ...

Lee Wee Nam (b. 1881, Theng Hai, Guangdong, China–d. 24 January 1964, Singapore) was an eminent entrepreneur and community leader. Better known as Wee Nam Yia, a title given by the Teochews to a distinguished man of high position, Lee was the chairman and managing ...

The Inter-Religious Organisation, Singapore (IRO), originally known as the Inter-Religious Organisation of Singapore and Johor Bahru, was founded on 18 March 1949 to promote friendship and cooperation among members of different religions. It originally represented ...

Ustaz Ahmad Sonhadji Mohamad Milatu (b. 18 August 1922, Desa Pingging, Surakarta (Solo), Central Java, Indonesia–d. 12 August 2010, Singapore) was a prominent ulama (religious scholar) who played a critical role in the development of Islamic education and the nurturing ...

Tan Beng Swee (b. 1828, Singapore–d. 4 November 1884, Singapore) was a wealthy Straits Chinese merchant and philanthropist. As the second-generation patriarch of the prominent Tan family, he served as a leader of the Chinese communities in both Malacca and Sin ...

Syed Ibrahim bin Omar Alsagoff (Dato) (b. 28 April 1899, Mecca–d. 20 July 1975, Singapore), popularly known as S. I. O. Alsagoff, was the head of local Arab companies – Alsagoff & Co. and S. O. Alsagoff. He was also the consul for several Arabic countries, as well ...

The residents, governors, presidents and government leaders of Singapore since the founding of Singapore in 1819.

Shirin Fozdar (b. 1 March 1905, Bombay, India–d. 2 February 1992, Singapore) was a women’s rights pioneer. One of the founders of the Singapore Council of Women (SCW) in 1952, Fozdar was also a key figure in establishing the Muslim Syariah Court and the Women’s ...

Govindasamy Kandasamy (b. 23 May 1921, Province Wellesley, Penang–d. 20 March 1999, Singapore), better known as G. Kandasamy, was a veteran union leader, politician and community leader. He founded the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE) in 1959 and served ...

Tan Lark Sye (陈六使) (b. 1897, Tong An County, Fujian, China–d. 1972, Singapore) was the founder of Aik Hoe Rubber Company, a rubber exporting firm. He was also chairman of the Hokkien Huay Kuan and the founder of the former Nanyang University (Nantah).

Tan Sri Tan Chin Tuan (Dr) (b. 21 November 1908, Singapore–d. 13 November 2005, Singapore), nicknamed “Mr OCBC”, was a prominent Peranakan philanthropist, and often credited as the man who built the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC).

Jacob Ballas (b. 21 January 1921, Iraq–d. 18 January 2000, Singapore) was a pillar of the Jewish community in Singapore, a successful stockbroker and well-known philanthropist. The Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden at the Singapore Botanic Gardens was named after ...

Song Hoot Kiam (b. 1830, Malacca–d. 7 October 1900, Singapore), after whom Hoot Kiam Road is named, is reputedly the forefather of the oldest Straits Chinese Christian family in Singapore. Influenced by sinologist and missionary James Legge, Song travelled to England ...

Alexander Laurie Johnston (b. Dumfriesshire, South Scotland–d. February 1850, Bluehill, Kircudbright, Scotland), a former ship’s owner/captain, merchant, businessman, magistrate and Justice of the Peace, arrived in Singapore between 1819 and 1820. One of the earliest ...

Samuel Dyer (b. 20 February 1804, Greenwich, England–d. 24 October 1843, Macau) was a missionary to the Chinese with the London Missionary Society (LMS). He devoted about 15 years to missions in the Straits Settlements, first in Penang (1827–¬¬35), then Malacca ...

Ling Siew May (b. 1937, Shanghai, China – d. 30 July 1999, Singapore) was the wife of the late former President Ong Teng Cheong, and principal partner at Ong & Ong Architects. She took over the company in 1993 and continued to work even after Ong was elected as ...