 David Marshall , leader of the Labour Front , became the first Chief Minister of Singapore . He presided over a shaky government , receiving little cooperation from either the colonial government or the other local parties . Social unrest was on the rise , and in May 1955 , the Hock Lee bus riots broke out , killing four people and seriously discrediting Marshall 's government . In 1956 , the Chinese middle school riots broke out among students in The Chinese High School and other schools , further increasing the tension between the local government and the Chinese students and unionists who were regarded of having communist sympathies . 
