|
Singapore Decline of British Military Influence, 1945-75
British military influence in Singapore was
reestablished at
the end of World War II and declined at a slower pace than
London's
political influence. Singapore was made the headquarters
for
British forces stationed in the East Asia. The local
population's
resentment of British rule was tempered by the magnitude
of the
social and economic problems remaining after the Japanese
occupation. Britain's military expenditures provided jobs
and
promoted support for its political objectives in the
region. From
1948 to 1960, Malaya and Singapore were under emergency
rule as a
result of the threat posed by the Communist Party of
Malaya
(
CPM--see Glossary).
Throughout this period, the majority of
Singapore's
political and business leaders were strong supporters of
the
British military presence. As Singapore moved from being a
crown
colony, to becoming a state in the Federation of Malaysia,
and
finally to independence in 1965, the British armed forces
continued
to be viewed as the protector of Singapore's democratic
system of
government and an integral part of the island's economy.
By 1962 the British were questioning the strategic
necessity
and political wisdom of stationing forces in Singapore and
Malaya.
At that time London was spending about US$450 million
annually to
maintain four infantry battalions, several squadrons of
fighter
aircraft, and the largest British naval base outside the
British
Isles, even though Southeast Asia accounted for less than
5 percent
of Britain's foreign commerce.
In January 1968, the British government informed Prime
Minister
Lee that all British forces would be withdrawn from the
country
within three years. By then Singapore already had begun to
organize
its army and to plan for the establishment of an air force
and
navy. The British left behind a large military
infrastructure and
trained personnel of the newly formed Air Defence and
Maritime
commands. London formally ended all responsibility for
Singapore's
defense in 1972 when it turned over control of the Bukit
Gombak
radar station to Singapore.
Data as of December 1989
|
