Singapore turns 50 amid spectacular celebrations

Singapore celebrated its 50th year of independence with nationwide celebrations including a huge military parade and firework display that paid tribute to former founder Lee Kuan Yew. Lee, the authoritarian ruler who died in March aged 91, was honoured with a video on his life and times at the beginning of the annual National Day Parade, the first he had ever missed.

For this year’s National Day Singapore splurged S$20 million (US$15 million) on the parade, which had 12,000 performers and saw a turnout of about 250,000 spectators.

The festivities that followed featured about 2,000 marchers, 50 military aircraft, 177 tanks, and other security hardware, underscoring the Singapore military’s status as the best armed in the region. One of the highlights of the parade was a formation of 20 fighter jets flying in a shape of a “50”, 18 metres apart. The procession was the high point of a jubilee year largely choreographed and funded by the government.

Singapore became a republic on August 9, 1965, when it was ejected from the Malaysian federation following a stormy two-year union. The celebrations started at 9:00 am (0100 GMT) with the recording of Lee Kuan Yew rereading the original declaration of independence. During the celebrations, the prime minister was joined by leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for the parade at the landmark Padang grounds, facing scenic Marina Bay. The prime ministers of Malaysia and Thailand, along with Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla were among regional leaders attending, along with officials from China, Australia, and Japan.