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|History|for|The Cool|
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Chinese School Riot (May 1954)
Background
Before Singapore's independence, Chinese education in Singapore had progressed principally due to the contributions of rich Chinese philanthropists. Chinese schools were run by governing bodies which comprised members selected more because of their prestige than knowledge of running an institution. The British government did not provide for Chinese school and when it came to economic opportunities, the colonial government also preferred the English-educated, leaving the Chinese-educated dissatisfied.
The national Service Ordinance
The National Service Ordinance was introduced by the British government in 1952 and it took effect in 1954 on the ground that people seeking self-government should be able to defend themselves. The Ordinance required males between the ages of 18 and 20 to register for part-time National Service, and later to be called up into the Singapore Military Force (SMF) ,the Civil Defence Corps (CDC) for training or do part-time military service. Failure to register by the deadline would risk offenders a six-month jail term or a fine of $2,000, or both. Initially the idea had full public support and registration for the National Service went smoothly and 98% of eligible students had registered themselves.
However, the National Service ruling angered the Chinese Middle School students because they were compelled to defend the same British order that had discriminated against them and in which they saw no future.
Largely, the Chinese who felt that they were not treated as equals by the British did not feel oblige to serve the colonial government. Moreover, the temporary disruption to the process of education in Chinese schools caused displeasure within the Chinese community incited resentment towards the colonial government and exploited the students' grievances to their political advantage.
On 13 May 1954, 500 students held a demonstration against the National Service Ordinance. 500 Chinese schoolboys and girls tried to march onto the Government House to lodge their protest. When they failed to disperse, the Riot Squad stepped in and the event turned violent. Twenty students and six police were injured. The police arrested 44 boys and one girl, all above 16 and they were released the following day on bail. Later, as the demonstration gained momentum, 1000 students locked themselves in at the Chung Cheng High School and the police forced them out the next day.
On 18 May 1954, the students pursued their protest demanding that students be exempted from National Service, which was then turned down. As more student demonstrations were expected in the weeks ahead, Directors and Principals of ten boys' and girls' high schools announced on 21 May that their schools would be closed for summer vacation two weeks earlier, which affected 15,000 Chinese students and sparked off defiance. On 22 May 1954, 2500 boys and girls locked themselves into the Chung Cheng High School and Parents of the students came down to the school at dawn on 23 May to fetch their children but were met with opposition from student leaders who tried to prevent the parents from entering the school. The police later persuaded the leaders to let the parents pass and the school grounds were cleared peacefully by 11 am.
Because of the vigorous resistance, the first big-scale attempt to recruit male youths for part-time national service died a natural death. The colonial government had also agreed to postpone National Service.
Therefore, the Chinese school riots that occurred in 1954 were due to the communist influence. Singapore's earliest attempt to introduce a compulsory conscription rule in 1952 was vigorously resisted by the Chinese Middle School students. On 13 May 1954, violence erupted when hundreds of students clashed with the police. As a result, 26 were injured and 45 students arrested. The National Service riots marked the beginning of intense communist subversion in the Chinese Middle Schools, which became a breeding ground of communist sympathizers in Singapore.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_National_Service_Riots
http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1202_2006-07-28.html
NOneed4name |7:27 AM
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