The American Club Magazine - Fall 2021

FEATURE

56 YEARS AND COUNTING: TRACINGTHE HISTORY OF SINGAPORE’S NATIONAL DAY By Chloe Tan

The Padang

This August, Singapore will yet again experience a very different National Day as we celebrate the mark of our nationhood in the face of the ongoing global pandemic. But did you know that there was a time that Singapore experienced National Day that was out of the ordinary? On June 3, 1959, the 1.6 million people residing in Singapore woke up to new beginnings, as the nation became an internal self-governing state under the British Crown, and National Day was celebrated on June 3 during the early 1960s. In 1963, Singapore declared full independence from Britain and shor tly after, became par t of Malaysia when it merged with the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak. Fast forward to August 9, 1965, Singapore separated from the Federation of Malaya to go its own way. On this day, it was announced that Singapore would be a “sovereign, democratic and independent nation.” In 1966, Singapore celebrated its August 9 National Day for the first time. It was a week-long string of activities and festivities that consisted of a big parade, cultural shows, dinner par ties and fireworks displays.

17 THE AMERICAN CLUB SINGAPORE