- Title: SINGAPORE-ANNIVERSARY Singapore celebrates 50th anniversary in style
- Date: 9th August 2015
- Summary: VIP STAGE SULTAN OF BRUNEI, HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH, ARRIVING AT VIP STAND AND SITTING DOWN
- Embargoed: 24th August 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Singapore
- Country: Singapore
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA69D6UDTICQUB0ONCMP03Q5XIQ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Singapore celebrated its 50th birthday on Sunday (August 9) with a parade depicting the city state's history using a combination of entertainment and military performance.
Festooned with countless red and white flags, Singapore launched an extravagant celebration of its 50th anniversary, an occasion of national pride the local ruling party is expected to exploit to call an election next month.
It will be the second time this year that Singaporeans have come together to reflect on the extraordinary success of a tiny nation, after they mourned the death of first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew in late March.
"Actually very emotional because when I step out of my house, I look at the things around me and I find that all these things have been achieved over, with a lot of effort over those past 50 years and I hope that this is the start of another brand new wonderful 50 years for all of us," said Singaporean Wee Pin.
"Yeah, I'm definitely very proud, what we have gone so far, from nothing, today, we are where we are today, a lot, big achievement," added Christopher.
Others just wished the country a happy birthday.
"It feels very exciting, we are all celebrating our pride, 50th national day and I, happy birthday to Singapore," said business owner Arthur Tay.
An island of 5.5 million people that sits just north of the equator, what was a post-colonial backwater at independence from Malaysia in 1965 is now a global business hub. Its economic and social model is the envy of nations around the world.
The government showcased its success in an elaborate parade that included a flypast by fighter jets and fireworks for an audience of 200,000 as well as millions watching on television from their living rooms.
Organisers also included a tribute to late former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
The government has granted an extra day of public holiday, and handed out commemorative tote bags stuffed with national flags along with snacks and games from Singapore's yesteryear.
Regional leaders attending the festivities included Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Thailand's Prime Minister, Prayuth Chan-o-Cha and Japan's Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso.
The official logo for the celebration is a red dot, a symbol of pride and defiance since the 1990s when an Indonesian leader was reported to have referred to Singapore dismissively as "a little red dot" on the map. The image, with "SG50" in white characters, is ubiquitous, adorning banners, buses, cakes and a host of goods in shops.
A recording of Lee Kuan Yew reading the Proclamation of Independence, the document that announced Singapore's separation from Malaysia, was played on radio and television channels at 9 a.m local time (0600 GMT).
Prime Minister Lee is widely expected to call the next election as early as September.
Political analysts expect Lee's party to win more votes this time, in part thanks to the patriotism and feel good factor of the anniversary celebrations but also the government's efforts to address issues irking the public. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None