How Singapore became independent

To Western eyes, Singapore was discovered in 1819. ¹ Of course, other eyes have since learned that it existed, and was populated – although not populous – before then. In spite of this, it seems appropriate here to follow the formerly conventional Western wisdom, and begin with Sir Stamford Raffles. His statue, erected in 1887, and undisturbed by the present government party, the People's Action Party, remains as a symbol of Singapore's commitment to trade. This book tells the story of how, after World War Two and the Japanese occupation, Singapore achieved independence and chose a quite remarkable group of people to rule it, Lee Kuan Yew and his colleagues in the People's Action Party, who raised Singapore from a Third World country to First World status.