NUS High School of Mathematics and Science focuses on Mathematics Science Technology and Engineering, 2.4 Desalinated seawater Freedom House ranks Singapore as "partly free" in its Freedom in the World report, and the Economist ranks Singapore as a "flawed democracy" the second best rank of four in its "Democracy Index" the latest elections were in September 2015 with the PAP winning 83 of 89 seats contested with 70% of the popular vote! Education has always represented an area of focus for Singapore since its independence in 1965. Its emphasis on education partly reflects Singapore's virtual lack of natural resources and Singapore's need to develop its human resource and manpower capability in its continuing quest to build a knowledge-based economy, Conscription Film Before World War II rickshaws were an important part of urban public transportation Rickshaws were taken over by the trishaw after the world war, The failure of Britain to successfully defend Singapore had destroyed its credibility as an infallible ruler in the eyes of Singaporeans The decades after the war saw a political awakening amongst the local populace and the rise of anti-colonial and nationalist sentiments epitomised by the slogan Merdeka or "independence" in the Malay language The British on their part were prepared to gradually increase self-governance for Singapore and Malaya. On 1 April 1946 the Straits Settlements was dissolved and Singapore became a separate Crown Colony with a civil administration headed by a Governor In July 1947 separate Executive and Legislative Councils were established and the election of six members of the Legislative Council was scheduled in the following year. Medisave is a medical savings account under an individual's CPF account that is used for payment of future medical expenses as well as premiums of medical insurance policies Funds can be pooled within and across an entire extended family.
The history of common water supply in Singapore began with the construction of the MacRitchie Reservoir which was built by the British in 1866 The Lower Peirce Reservoir and the Upper Seletar Reservoir were completed in 1913 and 1949 respectively in order to supply the rapidly modernising colonial city with sufficient water In 1927 the municipal leadership of Singapore and Sultan Ibrahim of the state and territories of Johor in neighboring Malaya signed an agreement that allowed Singapore to rent land in Johor and use its water for free The Municipal Water Department under David J Murnane began importing raw water from Gunong Pulai in 1927 and filtered water on 31 December 1929 The water filtration and pipeline capacity from Gunong Pulai was doubled in 1939. Another pipeline was built to return a smaller quantity of treated water to Johor.[citation needed] During the Battle of Singapore in 1942 the Causeway that links Singapore with Malaya and that carries the pipeline was blown up by retreating British troops thus unintentionally destroying the pipeline which left Singapore with water reserves that could last at most two weeks. According to Lee Kuan Yew this was one of his motives to envision water self-sufficiency for Singapore later when he became the city-state's Prime Minister! The port is the world's busiest port in terms of shipping tonnage handled with 1.15 billion gross tons (GT) handled in 2005 In terms of cargo tonnage Singapore is behind Shanghai with 423 million freight tons handled The port retains its position as the world's busiest hub for transshipment traffic in 2005 and is also the world's biggest bunkering hub with 25 million tonnes sold in the same year. Singapore is a global hub for education, entertainment, finance healthcare, human capital, innovation, logistics, manufacturing, technology, tourism, trade and transport the city ranks highly in numerous international rankings and has been recognised as the most "technology-ready" nation (WEF) top International-meetings city (UIA), city with "best investment potential" (BERI) world's smartest city, world's safest country, world's most competitive economy. third least-corrupt country third-largest foreign exchange market third-largest financial centre third-largest oil refining and trading centre fifth-most innovative country and the second-busiest container port the Economist has ranked Singapore as the most expensive city to live in since 2013. It is identified as a tax haven Singapore is the only country in Asia with an AAA sovereign rating from all major rating agencies and one of 11 worldwide Globally the Port of Singapore and Changi Airport have held the titles of leading "Maritime Capital" and "Best Airport" respectively for consecutive years while Singapore Airlines is the 2018 "World's Best Airline". Singapore ranks highly at 9th on the UN Human Development Index with the 2nd highest GDP per capita It is placed highly in key social indicators: education healthcare life expectancy quality of life personal safety and housing 90% of homes are owner-occupied According to the Democracy Index the country is described as a "flawed democracy" Singapore is ranked 1st in the world on the Global Food Security Index it also ranks as one of the most peaceful countries in the world.
David Stoker, MD