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Singapore Constitutional Framework
Singapore became an autonomous state within Malaysia,
with its
own constitution, on September 16, 1963. It separated from
Malaysia
on August 9, 1965. On December 22, 1965, the Legislative
Assembly
passed a Singapore Independence Bill and a Constitutional
Amendment. The Constitutional Amendment provided for a
parliamentary system of government, with a president,
whose duties
were largely ceremonial, elected every four years by the
Parliament.
The Constitution can be amended by a two-thirds vote of
Parliament. A 1966 amendment allowed appeal from the Court
of
Appeal in Singapore to the Judicial Committee of
Her Majesty's Privy Council (see Glossary)
in Britain. In 1968 an amendment
created the office of vice president and liberalized the
requirements of citizenship. A 1969 amendment established
the
Supreme Court in place of the High Court and Court of
Appeal as the
highest appeal tribunal. A 1972 amendment entitled
"Protection of
the Sovereignty of the Republic of Singapore," introduced
a measure
to ensure the sovereignty of the city-state. It prohibited
any
merger or incorporation with another sovereign state,
unless
approved in a national referendum by a two-thirds
majority. Under
the same terms, it also prohibited the relinquishment of
control
over Singapore police forces and armed forces. In 1978 the
Fundamental Liberties section of the Constitution (Part
IV,
Articles 9-16) was amended; the amendment extended
government
powers by establishing that arrests to preserve public
safety and
good order and laws on drug abuse would not be
inconsistent with
liberties set forth in that section of the Constitution.
Data as of December 1989
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