Background
A nine-man constitutional commission, headed by George Rendel, was appointed on 21 July 1953 to review the constitutional status of Singapore.[1] The commission’s report was presented to Governor Sir John Fearns Nicoll on 22 February 1954 and made official that very day.[2] The report paved the way for internal self-government by proposing constitutional reforms that increased local participation in politics.[3] Key recommendations of the report included the formation of a single-chamber Legislative Assembly with two-thirds of its members being popularly elected as well as the automatic registration of voters.[4] The Rendel Constitution came into effect on 8 February 1955.[5]
References
1. Singapore. Constitutional Commission. (1954). Report of the constitutional commission (p. iii). Call no.: RCLOS 342.5957 SIN.
2. Singapore. Constitutional Commission, 1954, p. iii; All change here: Rendel urges sweeping reforms in Singapore. (1954, February 23). The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
3. Turnbull, C. M. (2009). A history of modern Singapore, 1819–2005 (p. 56). Singapore: NUS Press. Call no.: RSING 959.57 TUR-[HIS].
4. Singapore. Constitutional Commission, 1954, pp. iii, 5, 9–10.
5. State of Singapore. (1955, February 5). Government gazette. Extraordinary. (G.N. 309, p. 153). Singapore: [s.n.]. Call no.: RCLOS 959.57 SGG.
Categories
Politics and GovernmentRights Statement
The information in this article is valid as at 2011 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.