The following lists events that happened during 1961 in Singapore. Source:

Incumbents

Yang di-Pertuan Negara Yang di-Pertuan Negara (English: (he) who is Lord of the State) is a title for the head of state in certain Malay language, Malay-speaking countries, and has been used as an official title at various times in Brunei and Singapore. Sabah The head ...

–

Yusof Ishak Yusof bin Ishak (12 August 191023 November 1970) was a Singaporean politician and journalist who served as the first president of Singapore from 1965 until his death in 1970. Prior to becoming head of state, Yusof was a well-known journalis ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

–

Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), born Harry Lee Kuan Yew, often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean lawyer and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1990, and Secretary-General o ...

Events

February

*20 February – The Singapore Malay National Organisation (PKNS) is formed as a branch of

UMNO The United Malays National Organisation (Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its in ...

. It later split following independence.

April

*29 April – A

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

is held in Hong Lim after

Ong Eng Guan Ong Eng Guan (; 1925–2008) was a Singaporean politician who served as Minister for National Development between 1959 and 1960. An anti-communist, Ong was a Chinese-educated orator who became popular among the Chinese community in Singapore. He ...

resigned from his seat following expulsion from the

People's Action Party The People's Action Party (abbreviation: PAP) is a major conservative centre-right political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and ...

(PAP). As two other candidates were disqualified, it is a contest between Ong and PAP's Jek Yuen Thong, which Ong regained his seat.

May

*24 May – The

Women's Charter The Women's Charter 1961 is an Act of the Singaporean Parliament passed in 1961. The Act was designed to improve and protect the rights of females in Singapore and to guarantee greater legal equality for women in legally sanctioned relationship ...

is passed, guaranteeing

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

and equality in families. The Charter started on 15 September. *25 May – The

Bukit Ho Swee Fire The Bukit Ho Swee fire was a conflagration that broke out in the squatter settlement of Bukit Ho Swee, Singapore on 25 May 1961. This fire resulted in 4 deaths and injured another 54. It also destroyed more than 2,800 houses around the Bukit Ho ...

kills 4 people and destroys 2,200 attap houses. *27 May –

Tunku Abdul Rahman Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah ( ms, ‏تونكو عبد الرحمن ڤوترا الحاج ابن سلطان عبد الحميد حليم شاه, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 8 Febru ...

, the Prime Minister of

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

, proposes a merger between Singapore, Malaya,

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the M ...

and

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

(which pulled out last minute due to the Brunei Revolt).

July

*15 July – A

is held after assemblyman Baharuddin bin Ariff died a few months earlier. The

lost this by-election; the second in a row, with David Marshall from the Workers' Party winning the Anson seat. *25 July – The Singapore Trade Union Congress (STUC) splits, caused by an ideological split in the

. *26 July –

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard ou ...

opens Singapore's first

oil refinery An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, lique ...

Pulau Bukom Pulau Bukom, also known as Pulau Bukum ( zh, 毛广岛; ta, புளு புகோம்), is a small restricted-access island belonging to Singapore that is located about five kilometres to the south of Mainland Singapore, off the Strait ...

August

*1 August – The

Economic Development Board The Economic Development Board (EDB) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Government of Singapore that plans and executes strategies to sustain Singapore as a leading global hub for business and investment. His ...

is formed to create opportunities for Singapore businesses. *12 August – The National Iron and Steel Mills (present-day NatSteel) is formed to develop Singapore's steel industry. *13 August –

Barisan Sosialis Barisan Sosialis ( eng, Socialist Front) was a political party in Singapore. It was formed on 29 July 1961 and officially registered on 13 August 1961 by left-wing members of the People's Action Party (PAP) who had been expelled from the PAP. ...

is registered as an opposition party, which dissolved and merged with the Workers' Party in 1988. *16 August – The Singapore Association of Trade Unions (SATU) is formed after STUC's split earlier in July. The union is declared illegal in 1963 after conducting activities that threatened Singapore's national security.

September

*6 September – The

National Trades Union Congress The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), also known as the Singapore National Trades Union Congress (SNTUC) internationally, is the sole national trade union centre in Singapore. NTUC is at the heart of the Labour Movement which comprises 59 ...

is formed to represent workers. *13 September – 9 October –

delivered a series of 12 radio talks in English, Mandarin and Malay to campaign for a merger with Malaysia. This also includes exposing the Communists' real ideology and reason for opposing the merger. *16–17 September – The first Singapore Grand Prix is held at Thomson Road.

October

*15 October – The Sang Nila Utama Secondary School is officially opened, making it Singapore's first Malay-medium secondary school. By 1968, it started to offer English-medium lessons.

November

*16 November – A White Paper on the proposed merger with Malaya is published. It outlines similar citizenships, passports and rights for Singapore citizens when in Federation, at least 15 seats in the Federal House of Representatives and two in the Senate, maintaining of Singapore's free port status, how the Head of State will be appointed, among others.

December

*11–16 December – Singapore took part in the 2nd

South East Asian Peninsular Games The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supe ...

. It clinched the fifth place, accumulating a total of 28 medals.

Date unknown

* The State Development Plan 1961–1964 is published. It aims to improve conditions in Singapore, during a time of high unemployment. * Queenstown New Town is being built and expanded to cater for a growing population. This comes after slow progress under the previous

Singapore Improvement Trust The Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) is a former government organisation that was responsible for urban planning and urban renewal in Singapore. Formally established in 1927 under the Singapore Improvement Ordinance, it was modelled after sim ...

Births

*23 January –

Mas Selamat Kastari Mas Selamat Kastari (born 23 January 1961), an Indonesian-born Singaporean, was for more than a year Singapore's most-wanted fugitive after escaping from detention on 27 February 2008. The search for him has been described as the largest manhunt ...

– Known for 2008 escape. *25 January –

Vivian Balakrishnan Vivian Balakrishnan ( ta, விவியன் பாலகிருஷ்ணன்; born 1961) is a Singaporean politician, diplomat and former ophthalmologist who has been serving in the Cabinet as Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2015. A m ...

–

Minister for Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between coun ...

. *4 February –

Edmund Chen Edmund Chen () (born 4 February 1961) is a Singaporean former actor and artist. He began his career in 1987 and rose to become one of Singapore's most prominent and popular actors during the 1990s and early 2000s. Career Chen entered the entertai ...

– Former actor. Married with

Xiang Yun Chen Cuichang (born 27 October 1961), better known by her stage name Xiang Yun, is a Singaporean actress & television host. She is commonly referred to as MediaCorp's first "Ah Jie" (Senior actress) for being among the first locally trained arti ...

, also born in 1961. *6 February –

Chen Show Mao Chen Show Mao ( zh, s=陈硕茂, p=Chén Shuòmào; born 6 February 1961) is a Singaporean politician. A graduate of Harvard, Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its popula ...

– Former politician. *12 February –

Chen Jin Lang Chen Jin Lang (; 12 February 1961– 25 July 2006) was a Singapore 'getai' songwriter legend and King of Hokkien pop. Personal life Chen Jin Lang became a nightclub singer at age 9 to supplement the family income. At 16, he released his first Ho ...

– Former singer. (d. 2006) *19 May –

David Ong David Ong Kim Huat ( zh, s=王金发, p=Wáng Jīnfā; born 19 May 1961) is a Singaporean former politician who has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC) (Bukit Batok), Adviser to Jurong GRC Gr ...

– Former politician. *14 July –

Heng Chee How Heng Chee How ( zh, s=王志豪, p=Wáng Zhìháo; born 1961) is a Singaporean politician, union leader and former police officer who has been serving as Senior Minister of State for Defence since 2018 and Deputy Secretary-General of the Nationa ...

– Politician. *16 August –

Lui Tuck Yew Lui Tuck Yew (; born 16 August 1961) is a Singaporean diplomat, former politician and two-star rear-admiral who has been serving as Singapore Ambassador to China since 2019. He previously served as Singapore Ambassador to Japan between 2017 an ...

– Former politician. *15 September –

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– Actor. *27 October –

– Actress. Married with

. *1 November –

Heng Swee Keat Heng Swee Keat (; born 15 April 1961) is a Singaporean politician, former police officer and civil servant who has been serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore since 2019 and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies since 2020 and als ...

–

Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore The deputy prime minister of Singapore is the deputy head of government of the Republic of Singapore. The incumbent deputy prime ministers are Heng Swee Keat and Lawrence Wong, who took office on 1 May 2019 and 13 June 2022 respectively. Hist ...

. *

Desmond Sim Desmond Sim Kim Jin (born 1961) is a Singaporean playwright, poet, short story writer, screenwriter and painter. His work, ''Places Where I've Been'', won a Merit Prize in the 1993 Singapore Literature Prize for Poetry. Career Almost all of hi ...

– Playwright, poet, writer, painter. * Isabella Loh – Chairperson of Singapore Environment Council. *

Kelly Tang Kelly Tang (born 1961) is a Singaporean composer known internationally for his wind band, chamber and orchestral works. For his contributions to the local music scene, Tang was conferred the Cultural Medallion in 2011. Early life Tang's love fo ...

– Composer. *

Ovidia Yu Ovidia Yu (born 1961) is a writer from Singapore who has published award-winning plays and short stories. She has won several awards, including the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Singapore Foundation Culture Award (1996), the Nationa ...

– Novelist, playwright.

Deaths

* 30 January – Goh Hood Keng – First

Straits Chinese The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, th ...

to be ordained

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister (b. 1888). * 21 April – Baharuddin bin Ariff, MP (b. 1933). * 12 August –

Tan Kah Kee Tan Kah Kee (; 21 October 1874 – 12 August 1961) was a Chinese businessman, investor, and philanthropist active in Singapore and the Chinese cities of Hong Kong, Shanghai, Xiamen, and Guangzhou. A prominent figure in the overseas Chinese c ...

, businessman, philanthropist (b. 1874).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1961 in Singapore

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

Years in Singapore