HY2229/SSA2204

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

HY2229/SSA2204 NATION-BUILDING IN SINGAPORE

(SEMESTER I: 2009-2010)

Time Allowed : 2 hours

______________________________________________________________

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

1.

This paper contains FIVE questions and comprises TWO pages.

2.

Candidates must attempt TWO questions: any ONE question from Section I and any ONE question from Section II.

HY2229/SSA2204 2 SECTION I (Choose any ONE question)

1.

First generation Peoples Action Party (PAP) member and cabinet minister Rajaratnam asserted in the 1980s that the PAP government is careful about the kind of awareness of the past it should inculcate in Singapores multicultural society. With reference to specific events in Singapores pre-1963 history, explain and argue if the government has been successful in promoting an awareness of the past that is beneficial for its multicultural society.

2.

Some historians have argued that the formation of Malaysia in 1963 was a neo-colonial plot engineered by the British as part of their larger decolonization strategy. Assess the validity of this argument.

SECTION II (Choose any ONE question)

3.

How has Singapores foreign policy, since 1965, been impacted by the racial problems faced during the period of merger and separation?

4.

Since 1965, Singapores growth strategies have not been based on any theoretical models. Critically assess how this economic pragmatism has brought both advantages and difficulties to nationbuilding in Singapore.

5.

Since independence, Singapore's education system has served dual purposes: training the workforce for maximum economic advantage and moulding the nation". Critically evaluate the tensions and contradictions inherent in the twin goals.

END OF PAPER