On 9th August 1965, Singapore was declared an independent nation. The news brought feelings of shock and uncertainty. The first cabinet ministers were Lee Kuan Yew, Dr. Toh Chin Chye, Dr. Goh Keng Swee, Sinnathamby Rajaratnam, Ong Pang Boon, Yong Nyuk Lin, Lim Kim San, Jek Yeun Thong, Othman Wok and Edmund W. Barker, ten of them altogether. As a team, they made key transformation during the first decade of Singapore’s independence in the area of security, economy and society.