caption: Challenges faced by Singapore as a newly-independent state Stable government and social needs Government need to gain support of people, which could be achieved if their needs were met Government need to give immediate attention to basic needs like education and healthcare after independence, such had to be met through sound policies Economic challenge Widespread unemployment and poverty in Singapore in 1960s Need to create enough jobs immediately Need to plan for economic development so that Singapore could continue to grow Sovereignty Singapore had to rely entirely on small population to defend itself to maintain independence When British announced troop-withdrawal, building up a defence force became even more urgent British withdrawal also meant a large number of workers would be put out of job Another way of maintaining independence was to gain recognition from other states in the world Social cohesion and national identity Tension remained among ethnic groups after Indonesian Confrontation and race riots Most of people in Singapore were immigrants and were loyal to their homeland Need to create a bond among people and develop national identity People must have confidence and belief that Singapore could survive as nation
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