On 24 August 1966, about 500,000 students at all 529 government and aided schools held the first daily recitation of the pledge of allegiance before the national flag.[1] Since then, the pledge-taking ceremony has been observed daily during school assemblies as well as at important national events like the National Day Parade.[2] The pledge was penned by then Minister for Foreign Affairs S. Rajaratnam just after Singapore's independence on 9 August 1965.[3] The pledge embodies the ideals for building a united Singapore "regardless of race, language or religion".[4] The practice of reciting the pledge with the right fist clenched to the chest was introduced on 27 June 1988 to better reflect its emotional significance.[5]
References
1. Daily allegiance pledge in schools. (1966, August 25). The Straits Times, p. 11. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
2. Turnbull, C. M. (2009). A history of modern Singapore, 1819–2005 (p. 304). Singapore: NUS Press. Call no.: RSING 959.57 TUR-[HIS].
3. Turnbull, 2009, p. 304.
4. The dream was about building 'a Singapore we are proud of'. (1996, June 12). The Straits Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
5. Simon, S. (1988, June 28). Students' new heartfelt way of saying the Pledge. The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
The information in this article is valid as at 2010 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.