Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements (1867–1942) The
Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements was formed on 1 April 1867 when the
Straits Settlements was made a
Crown Colony that answered directly to the
Secretary of State for the Colonies in
London, instead of the
Calcutta colonial government based in
India.
Letters patent granted a
Colonial Constitution on 4 February, which allocated much power to the governor. He was assisted by an
Executive Council and Legislative Council, the latter of which was entrusted with law-making in the colony. However, the governor had a casting vote and the power of
assent and
veto on all bills. The Legislative Council was composed of members of the Executive Council, the
chief justice, and non-official members nominated by the governor. These nominated members were intended to better represent the local people, including in its ranks
Asian members. Mostly wealthy Asian business and professional leaders, they were not necessarily a fair representation of the locals, however. Starting with four members, it started to grow through the years, with Singaporean members increasingly dominating the council to the displeasure of the politicians from
Malacca and
Penang. Despite this control by British subjects of the European
race, the local Asian population was usually
apathetic about such control. There have been a few exceptions.
Tan Cheng Lock, a member of the Executive Council who had previously opposed several policies made by the Legislative Council – such as the Aliens Ordinance of 1933 which restricted immigration – as anti-Chinese, called for direct popular representation through
popular votes, and to increase the number of non-official members to form a majority in the Legislative Council. Initiatives like these were unsuccessful, however, as there was little support from wider society were widely apathetic to local politics, with the Chinese population paying more attention towards growing their commercial and professional interests, and the events occurring back in
China, fueled largely by the rise in Chinese
nationalism sentiments.
Legislative Council of the Colony of Singapore (1946–1955) After
World War II, the Straits Settlements (Repeal) Act of 1946 dissolved the Straits Settlements, with Singapore becoming a Crown Colony on its own while
Penang and
Malacca joined the
Malayan Union. The effects of the war led to major changes in attitudes towards the British colonial government, particularly with the drop in confidence in their ability to govern and protect Singapore, and a resulting desire to have greater say and participation in local affairs. With mounting local pressure, a new Colonial Constitution was passed, with the Singapore Colony Order-in-Council of 1946 to 1948 providing for public voting to take place for the first time with the
first general election of 1948. Elected members of the Legislative Council were restricted to only six non-official members, however, voting was only open to adult British subjects who had been residents in Singapore for at least a year before the elections. The rest of the thirteen non-officials including four nominated members by the governor and three by the
chambers of commerce. Nine official members complete the council. The governor continued to exercise significant power, included the right to veto bills by the council. == List of sessions ==