City of Singapore (historical entity)
City in Singapore (1951–1965)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The City of Singapore[a] was the capital city of the Colony of Singapore, a British crown colony, and later served as the state capital of the State of Singapore within Malaysia, administered by the City Council as its local governing authority. Before 1951, the City Council was known as the Municipal Commission, and the area was referred to as the Town of Singapore.[1] Singapore was formally accorded city status by the United Kingdom in 1951.[2][3]
United Kingdom(1826–1963)
Malaysia(1963–1965)
Singapore | |
|---|---|
| City of Singapore | |
View of the Singapore River, 1960 High Street, 1963 Raffles Hotel, 1965 Supreme Court and City Hall buildings, 1960 Bumboats on the Singapore River, 1960 | |
 Map of the area in 1951, the year it was conferred city status. | |
| Coordinates: 1°17′30″N 103°51′00″E | |
| Country | United Kingdom (1826–1963) Malaysia(1963–1965) |
| State |  Colony of Singapore(1951–1959)  State of Singapore(1959–1965) |
| Government | |
| • Type | City council |
| • Mayor | Ong Eng Guan |
| Area | |
• Total | 6.89 sq mi (17.84 km2) |
| Demonym | Singaporean |
| Time zone | UTC+07:30 (MALT) |
| Postal districts | 1, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
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The remainder of the crown colony outside the city was administered by the Singapore Rural Board.[4] The city functioned as the capital of Singapore until its abolishment in 1965.[1][5] Today, the Central Area, which sits in the south-eastern corner of Singapore, mostly corresponds with what was once the City of Singapore, and the usage of "Singapore" now refers to all of the territories under the Republic of Singapore as a city-state.
History
Creation and subsequent elections
In the 1948 and 1951 general elections in Singapore, constituencies were drawn along the boundary of the Municipal Commission and the Rural Board, each area was subdivided into a number of constituencies.[6][7]
The municipality was then conferred with city status by a royal charter from King George VI on 22 September 1951, when Singapore was then a Crown colony.[1] The original Municipal Commission was therefore renamed as the City Council, and the Municipal Building was renamed City Hall.
Between the 1957 election and the phasing out of the city, Ong Eng Guan of the People's Action Party (PAP) was the mayor as the leader of the largest party within the City Council. Ong went on to become Minister of National Development under Lee Kuan Yew's premiership.
Dissolution
After the PAP gained power following the 1959 general election and formed the first government after self-government was granted to the Crown colony, the city was phased out, with powers transferred to statutory boards.[8]
In 1965, upon Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia, the Republic of Singapore Independence Act 1965 provided the following clause which empowered the President to abolish the City Council and the Rural Board, with the powers of the local authorities assumed by the Government.
President may by order make such modifications in any written law as appear to him to be necessary or expedient in consequence of the abolition of the City Council and of the Rural Board and of the assumption of the powers of the local authorities by the Government.