The 70s was an exciting time in Singapore. Economy was booming, the outlook was positive, and the world was focused on just one thing – global trade.
National Day Rally Rostrum from National Theatre
1970s | Rosewood | Gift of the Ministry of information and the Arts (MITA), National Museum of Singapore collection
In the 1970s, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew delivered his annual National Day Rally speech at the National Theatre from this rostrum. The first speech had been given in 1966, when Singapore celebrated its first National day. It became know as the National Day Rally speech, an annual address the incumbent prime minister makes to highlight the key challenges and direction ahead for the nation.1
After Singapore attained self-government in 1959, one of the key priorities was to address the challenges faced by the economy.Singapore’s entrepôt activity was declining, and it had no natural resources or much of a domestic market. Singapore also faced massive unemployment, which was exacerbated by2 a rapidly growing population.
Led by Singapore’s first Minister for Finance, Dr Goh Keng Swee, the government began to industrialise the economy and also to promote foreign investments. Factories and industrial estates were built in the 1960s and 1970s, which produced different types of goods for export. The government also gave incentives to foreign investors and multi-national corporations to set up manufacturing operations in Singapore.
Setron television set
1960s-1970s | Object size: 86.8 x 115.5 x 53 cm | National Museum of Singapore collection
This television set was produced by Setron Limited, which made Singapore’s first locally-assembled black-and-white televsion set in late 1964. Setron Limited was previously a coffee trading company, Heng Guan Limited, which had to shut down as its Indonesian-based business was affected by Konfrontasi. The only television assembly plant in Southeast Asia at that time when it was started, Setron became a household name in Singapore by the 1970s.3
Singapore Year Book 69 and 150 Years of Development exhibition catalogue
1970 / 1969 | Paper | National Museum of Singapore collection
1969 marked the 150th anniversary of the founding of modern Singapore. This anniversary was celebrated with cultural shows. exhibitions, film screenings and a food festival. One of the exhibitions, titled 150 Years of Development, took place at Elizabeth Walk, with booklets published in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil.
Looking back at that year, the Singapore Year Book 69 featured on its cover a flag raising parade at National Junior College, Singapore’s first junior college which opened that year. Former PM Lee Hsien Loong was among the first batch of students in NJC4; strangely the guy on the left in the first row looked like him.
Commemorative recording by Philips Phonographic Industries
1967 | Vinyl, paper | National Museum of Singapore collection
This vinyl record was pressed by Philips to commemorate the official opening of its factory at Commonwealth Drive In 1967, It contains a recording of Dr Goh Keng Swee’s speech at the opening event, and Singapore’s national anthem. The record sleeve features a photograph of the People’s Association Band (left) and the Gurkha Pipes and Drums Band (right) playing in front of the City Hall steps at the Padang before the commencement of the National Day Parade that year.5 Funny that after almost 60 years, the vinyl is making a comeback.
Setron radio
Late 1960s – early 1970s | Plastic, metal, glass | Object size: 75.3 x 28 x 40 cm | National Museum of Singapore collection
By 1972, Singapore achieved full employment. Its economy was starting to shift from being labour-intensive to being skill- and capital-intensive. Singapore was also developing higher-value industries such as precision engineering and electronics. To support this, the workforce was receiving more technical training through technical schools, vocational institutes and government-industry training centres for workers.6
History of Singapore
Singapore’s history is a journey from ancient settlement to modern metropolis. Initially known as Temasek, it was a 14th-century trading post, later falling under the influence of various empires. Sir Stamford Raffles established a British trading post in 1819, transforming the island into a thriving port. Post-World War II, Singapore gained self-governance and eventually independence, first as part of Malaysia and then as a sovereign nation in 1965.
The Singapore Treasures series focuses on the artefacts, relics and key monuments and moments that shaped this young nation. It is divided into four main parts.
- Pre-colonial before 1819
- British Colonial Rule (1819-1942), Japanese Occupation (1942-1945) and Post-War (1945-1955)
- Self government (1955-1963) and merger with Malaysia (1963-1965)
- Independence since 1965
Footnotes:
- Museum information card, Aug 2025 ↩︎
- Museum information card, Aug 2025 ↩︎
- Museum information card, Aug 2025 ↩︎
- PM Lee Hsien Loong at National Junior College’s 45th Anniversary Dinner, 6 June 2014, https://www.pmo.gov.sg/Newsroom/transcript-prime-minister-lee-hsien-loongs-speech-national-junior-colleges-45th ↩︎
- Museum information card, Aug 2025 ↩︎
- Museum information card, Aug 2025 ↩︎
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