Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong once said, "from these events (during the Japanese Occupation)... we learn... the need to stand firm in the face of enemy advance, and the fortitude of enduring hardship in the dark hours."1 Indeed, during World War II, the surrender of Singapore by the British meant that from 1942 to 1945, Singapore would be a colony of Japan as part of Japan's expansionism in Asia, hereby termed the Japanese Occupation. However, there are two polarising opinions regarding the impact of Japanese Occupation on the making of the Singapore nation, the 'transformative' and 'continuity' perspectives. This paper will examine these two perspectives with regards to 2 different aspects of the making of the Singapore nation, namely forming a nation from being a colonist of Britain and nation-building after independence from Malaysia.
The 'transformative' perspective explains that the Japanese Occupation was a major turning point in …show more content…
The Japanese Occupation had provided learning lessons for Singapore, most crucially the importance of internal defence and Singapore's right to her own sovereignty. The biggest example of this was the failure of Britain to protect Singapore during World War II, as this meant that after independence, Singapore needed to be able to protect herself without external dependence. This led to the introduction of National Service in 1967, the creation of a citzens' army. When the British, facing economic difficulties, withdrew all its military forces in 1971, then Minister Lee Kuan Yew stated that there will be 'no gap', meaning that Singapore forces will immediately replace the withdrawing British troops.3 This shows that the Japanese Occupation had moulded the direction of Singapore post-independence as well, with the case of National Service still being a defining part of Singapore
The 'transformative' perspective explains that the Japanese Occupation was a major turning point in …show more content…
The Japanese Occupation had provided learning lessons for Singapore, most crucially the importance of internal defence and Singapore's right to her own sovereignty. The biggest example of this was the failure of Britain to protect Singapore during World War II, as this meant that after independence, Singapore needed to be able to protect herself without external dependence. This led to the introduction of National Service in 1967, the creation of a citzens' army. When the British, facing economic difficulties, withdrew all its military forces in 1971, then Minister Lee Kuan Yew stated that there will be 'no gap', meaning that Singapore forces will immediately replace the withdrawing British troops.3 This shows that the Japanese Occupation had moulded the direction of Singapore post-independence as well, with the case of National Service still being a defining part of Singapore