The Diplomatic Informer Magazine wishes to congratulate the Government and the people of Singapore on the occasion of 57th anniversary of the National day. Wishing the Government & the people of Singapore continued unity, peace & prosperity
Singapore National Day is a federal holiday that is observed in Singapore on August 9 of every year. The day is set aside to commemorate Singapore’s independence from Malaysia which took place in the year 1965.
It is a special day when citizens of the country come together to appreciate and celebrate their independence. In 1963, a merger caused Sarawak, Sabah, Singapore, and the Federation of Malaya to become the Federation of Malaysia, in which Singapore was included. This was because Singapore being without natural resources needed Malaysia for a bigger market reach and job opportunities.
Later in 1965, due to some political and civil unrest, Singapore gained its independence from Malaysia. Singapore’s independence is remembered and celebrated yearly with exciting activities.
For instance, the Singapore National Day parade usually takes place in Marina Bay, the National Stadium, or the Padang. The parade usually includes officers of the Armed Forces, Police Force, Civil Defense Force, and some representatives of political parties.
The Singapore National Day Message has been recorded by the Prime minister of Singapore every year since 1966. The message covers domestic and global developments, economic performance and outlook, and national priorities and government plans.
After the address, the beautiful display of fireworks can then be enjoyed alongside the festivities, where there are choir performances, performances from school bands, and other fun presentations that can be enjoyed.
Today Singapore celebrated National Day with a parade at the Marina Bay floating platform – a roaring return to live performances on a grand scale after two years of pandemic restrictions.
South Africa and Singapore Relations:-
South Africa and the Republic of Singapore established diplomatic relations in 1992, when embassies were opened in Singapore and Pretoria. When South Africa re-entered the Commonwealth in 1994, the embassies became High Commissions.
Singapore and South Africa have a structured bilateral mechanics called Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) to optimise existing cooperation which takes place annually.
The last official visit was in 2019 when the Singapore Minister of State, Dr Maliki Bin Osman, and Deputy Minister Mashego-Dlamini, met on 5 September 2019, at the WEF in Cape Town and reaffirmed the strong bilateral relations between the two countries. Singapore pledged to a continued support to South Africa’s skills development and other areas of technical cooperation.
The total value of trade between South Africa and Singapore in 2020 was R 14.4 billion with exports at R 8.3 billion and the imports at R6 billion.
Singapore’s main imports from South Africa include organic chemicals, petroleum & products, iron & steel, non-ferrous metals, metal manufactures, vegetables & fruit, inorganic chemicals, metallic ores & scrap and paper manufactures. Singapore’s main exports to South Africa include telecommunications apparatus, electrical machinery, office & data machines, manufactured articles, general industrial machinery, plastics, crude rubber, textile manufactures, coffee and spices.
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