According to ehistorylib, in 2005, the population of Singapore was around 4.5 million people, with the majority belonging to the Chinese ethnic group. The economy of Singapore in 2005 was largely based on services and manufacturing, with its international trade being a major component of its GDP growth. Foreign relations in 2005 were largely focused on regional cooperation with other Asian countries and economic integration with global markets. In terms of politics, Singapore operated as a parliamentary republic under Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who had been elected in 2004. The government was divided between an executive branch led by the prime minister and a legislative branch consisting of one house. Women enjoyed some rights and freedoms compared to other countries in the region, but they still faced issues such as limited access to high-level positions and employment opportunities. Political freedom was generally respected although there were occasional reports of restrictions on media freedom and human rights abuses.
Yearbook 2005
Singapore. A dispute with Malaysia about land reclamation in the strait between the countries got its solution at the beginning of the year. The Hamburg court that Malaysia turned to in 2003 ruled that Singapore had the right to dry land in the strait, but that the countries had to settle for good on shipping and the environment. An agreement was reached to jointly ensure that shipping is not disturbed by the expansion and that the necessary environmental considerations are taken into account.
According to countryaah, Singapore is the capital and one of the major cities within the country of Singapore. The Singapore government legalized casino games in April and gave the go-ahead to the construction of two multi-billion-class casinos.
- Also see abbreviationfinder.org for how the acronym SG stands for the country of Singapore and other meanings of this two-letter abbreviation.
In July, Singapore stood in the eye of the world as the International Olympic Committee gathered in the city to appoint a host for the Summer Olympics 2012. The election fell on London.
The presidential election, which was to be held in August, was canceled because only one of the four candidates passed the selection criteria. The only approved candidate was sitting President Sellapan Rama Nathan, who could continue in his post for another six-year term. In order to become president, one must previously have held a high position in government, judiciary, government or business. The president mainly has ceremonial duties, but has veto rights on certain issues.
The number of cases of dengue fever increased sharply during the year. By October, almost 12,000 people had fallen ill in Singapore, of which 13 had died. Dengue fever is caused by viruses and the symptoms resemble a powerful flu.
Tony Tan won the presidential election in August 2011 and was placed on the post in September. Tan won with 35.2% of the vote. Just 0.35% more than Tan Cheng Bock, who came in second.
In December 2012, four Chinese guest workers were sentenced to prison for stoking a strike among bus drivers in protest of foreign drivers receiving far lower wages than Singapore’s own drivers. The country generally does not allow strike activity, just as assemblies of more than 5 people must be approved by the police in advance.
Before 2008, Prime Minister Lee’s annual salary was US $ 2,037,168. After all, that wasn’t so much, so in 2008 he got a 40% pay rise, so his annual salary was now $ 2,856,930. However, the criticism increased against Lee and his high salary, so in January 2012 it was reduced by 40% to DKK 1.7 million. US $. However, Lee was still the world’s most expensive prime minister.
In May 2014, Singapore blogger and activist Roy Ngerng posted a video on his blog accusing Lee of being involved in corruption. Shortly after, Ngerng received a call from one of Lee’s lawyers, Davinder Singh, who called the charge “false and baseless”. He demanded that Ngerng remove the video, apologize and pay Lee’s attorney fees. The human rights group Maruah recommended the Prime Minister to withdraw the threats, but in vain. Ngerng removed the video and wrote an apology, however, dismissed by Singh as dishonest. Ngerng then offered to pay S $ 5,000 in compensation, but it was dismissed by Singh as ridiculous. On June 10, Ngerng was fired from his job at Tan Tock Seng hospital as a result of the case. Ngerng was then brought to trial for defamation by the prime minister and in November the Singapore High Court convicted him of defamation. At the same time, Ngerng was banned from publishing statements on the Prime Minister in the future.
In July 2014, Singapore resumed the execution of death sentences when Tang Hai Liang and Foong Chee Peng were executed. It was the first time Singapore had implemented the sentence since 2011. Otherwise, in 2012, Parliament had removed the mandatory death penalty for a number of types of crime, so there was hope that the country would withdraw from the use of the death penalty. Liang and Peng were executed for drug offenses for which they were convicted in 2011. At the end of 2013, 13 were on death row in Singapore.
In 2014, Singapore authorities forced a number of otherwise popular internet sites to close or register. Sites can only be opened if they deposit US $ 40,000. This deposit must ensure that the owners immediately remove material that the authorities find offensive. The registration applies to all news sites that have at least 50,000 unique visitors per month over a two-month period. month from Internet addresses in Singapore. In September 2014, the Singapore Media Development Authority (MDA) forced The Online Citizen site to register; in March, The Mothership faced the claim; In December 2013, The Breakfast Network decided to close rather than register. With a new media law in 2013, MDA had the unlimited right to control the content on the country’s web sites, require registration, require content removed or close sites.Denmark, where in 2011 the Danish Data Protection Agency closed the investigative journalism site redox.dk, and where judges in the period 2005-10 closed sites or demanded content removed with reference to the country’s restrictive terrorist legislation.
