Similarity
-Both sources are similar in that both show what they had hoped to achieve. Source S states that "I came before you, day after day at lunch time, to speak to you of the dangers that the future held and to put before you a blueprint of miracle." This shows that David Marshall had plans to change Singapore and was aware of the problems he would face. Similarly, Source B states that "Out on the streets, Chinese students ignored the government's official closure of their schools, and in a repeat of the previous year locked themselves into their classrooms, where they established their own revolutionary curriculum." This also shows that the Chinese students had other plans as they had rebelled against the closure of their school.
Difference
-Both sources differ in showing how legal both parties were in going about achieving what they hoped for. Source A suggests that David Marshall was changing Singapore in a legal way while Source B suggests that the Chinese students were doing so illegally. In Source A,"I think you know when I was first elected and appointed Chief Minister, I was told I had no office, no clerk, no thambi." This shows that David Marshall was re-shaping Singapore the legal way as he had a position of power(Chief Minister). In contrast, Source B states that "Out on the streets, Chinese students ignored the government's official closure of their schools, and in a repeat of the previous year locked themselves into their classrooms, where they established their own revolutionary curriculum." This suggests that the Chinese students were going about a revolution in an illegal way as they went against the government.
THE 8 SOURCES
Source 1:
Adapted from:
Source 3:
Adapted from: The Straits Times
Source 4:
Adapted From:http://ourstory.asia1.com.sg/independence/ref/riot54.html
Source 5:
National Service was unpopular among the Chinese. If agitation could be mounted against it, there was a distinct chance that the students could be mobilised. In fact, even the parents of the students would be aroused to take a stand against the government. When the protest campaign first started, students from the Chinese schools refused to turn up for registration.
Source 6:
The introduction of part-time National Service has been successful; at least in the initial stage, despite opposition stirred up in the middle (i.e. secondary) Chinese students. Only three out of the four hundred mainly Chinese youths drafted to the Singapore Military Forces disobeyed their call-up notices, and there had been no disobedience since or hint of discontent. On the contrary, the recruits have proved to be interested and enthusiastic, and a most encouraging sign is that though they have been educated in all types of schools, they soon form a cohesive body.
Adapted From:http://ilovehistoryhomework.wordpress.com/author/anitaneohttp://ilovehistoryhomework.wordpress.com/author/anitaneoE
Source 7:
IN May 1954, students from Chung Cheng High School held a demonstration to protest against National Service.All males between the ages of 18 and 20 were required to register for part-time National Service.The Chinese students felt that it was unfair to them, as they saw no future in the British-ruled state. Some also believed that it was a ploy to use local people to preserve colonial rule.On May 13,500 students created havoc in the streets, while another 1,000 students locked themselves in Chung Cheng High School. Over 20 students were injured and 48 were arrested by the police.On May 18, 55 students formed a delegation to request for exemption from National Service. Their request was turned down.The school authorities decided to close the school two weeks earlier for the school vacation, fearing that there would be further trouble.2,500 students locked themselves in Chung Cheng High School. The group only dispersed when the police and parents stepped in to intervene.
Adapted from:http://ourstory.asia1.com.sg/independence/ref/riot54.html
Source 8:
Meeting minutes
Singapore's earliest attempt to introduce compulsory conscription in 1952 was vigorously resisted by the Chinese middle school students. On 13 May 1954, violence erupted when hundreds of students clashed with the police. As a result, 26 people were injured and 45 students arrested. The National Service Riots marked the beginning of intense communist subversion in the Chinese middle schools, which subsequently became the breeding ground for communist sympathisers in Singapore.
First meeting: 12th August 2014
Venue: Computer Lab 4
Members present :Alexander Ow, Ong Jun Hng, Zhang Xiao Yang, Felix Lee
Members absent: NIL
Issues discussed: We discussed where to locate reliable sources related to Anti NS riots
Plan of action: Researching on information from different websites regarding Anti NS riots. Find reliable websites that are credible
Second meeting: 17 August 2014
Venue: Felix Hse
Members present: Alexander Ow, Zhang Xiao Yang, Felix Lee, Ong Jun Hng
Members absent: NIL
Issues discussed: How to do a good Compare And Contrast
Plan of action: Read source A and B carefully, highlight the keywords, each member do a copy and we choose the best out of the four copies of the Compare And Contrast
Third meeting: 21th August 2014
Venue: Computer Lab 4
Members present: Alexander Ow, Zhang Xiao Yang, Felix Lee, Ong Jun Hng
Members absent: NIL
Issues discussed: Brainstorming of Sources to pick which will be uploaded to the blog.Some sources we chose initially were not really related to the NS riots and were therefore eliminated.
Those which better depicts the NS riots were chosen.
Plan of action:Choosing the best 8 sources out of the 16 sources related to NS riot.Out of the 8 sources we had decided to include 4 pictorial and 4 textual sources.
Fourth meeting:22nd August 2014
Members present: Alexander Ow, Zhang Xiao Yang, Felix Lee, Ong Jun Hng
Venue: Computer Lab 4
Members absent: NIL
Issues discussed: How do we improve our blog? Is there anything that we can improve on? Is our Compare And Contrast and Finding of sources done accurately?
Plan of action: Touch up on the blog. Look for ways to improve the blog.
History Essay: Why the Anti-NS riots should be remembered
After completing this history assignment on the anti-national service riots, I feel that this event is one that should not be forgotten or pushed aside and ignored. This event may have occurred over fifty years ago but it has left a lasting mark in the country’s history.
Source C shows the enormous crowd of people who had shown up for this riot and that was but a portion of the total number. The students from Chinese schools had sent out letters of invitation to the other schools of other races, which is shown in the picture where there is a wide variety of people from different walks of life in the picture. This shows that although the Chinese had been the ones suffering the most under the British, they were not the only ones who were unhappy with the foreigners. The British government then wanted to implement National Service into the country’s laws, without even considering the local’s opinions. This shows how inconsiderate the British government in Singapore had been, and also how much the locals wanted to be heard along with how limited they were in terms of freedom. If the government had done such a thing in the modern society, we would be a nation full of tourists nonetheless, yet we would have very few true-blood Singaporeans working here as we would want our rights. Thus most of us would have probably left the country for more freedom.
As shown in Source E, the riots caused mass chaos such as the overturning of buses and cars, as well as 5 dead along with 100 injured. This displays the impact of how a riot can cause such destruction and bloodshed. Even after this head count, there were still missing people. It also displays how angry these Chinese students must have been due to the discrimination towards them by the British government. If such discrimination had been shown in the modern society by the current government, Singapore as a country would have little unity in this multiracial society and there would be few or zero economic investors willing to work with Singapore. We would also lose ties with China, which is one of the nation’s closest allies in the economy.
Lastly, Source A shows the violence witnessed by the eyes of an artist who effectively depicted his sights. By showing adding in the dialogue the artist has shown the conviction of the rioters. These rioters were very highly motivated and willingly fought for their cause. The students not only used their fists, they even used batons and rocks as weapons to strike the police. They were even willing to kill to prove their point. If the students were so enraged, if such a thing had fallen upon us in the current society, the government would not only have to deal with the physical rioting threat, there would also be people who would support this riot online on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. Although there would not be any physical deaths and casualties, there would be much more people who would support this cause and there would be a non-violent riot. Despite this, there would be more people who would not trust the government, much less support them.
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