1991 in Singapore explained

The following lists events that happened during 1991 in Singapore.

Incumbents

• President: Wee Kim Wee
• Prime Minister: Goh Chok Tong

Events

January

• 2 January – New machine-readable passports are issued.
• 11 January – The National Science and Technology Board is formed to enhance R&D activities in Singapore.^[1]
• 15 January – The five Shared Values of Singapore are adopted.^[2]

February

• 23 February – Civics and moral education is introduced, replacing religious knowledge lessons in schools.^[3]

March

• 2 March – The National Trades Union Congress launches two radio stations, NTUC Heart Radio 91.3 and NTUC Heart Radio 100.3.^[4]
• 16 March – The New Horizon Centre is officially opened, making it the first day care centre to look after those with dementia.^[5]
• 26 March – Four Pakistanis hijack Singapore Airlines Flight 117 and demand the release of Pakistan Peoples Party members from Pakistani jails.^[6]
• 27 March – Members of the Singapore Special Operations Force storm into Singapore Airlines Flight 117, killing all hijackers and freeing all passengers and crew members.

May

• 4 May – Filipina domestic worker Delia Maga and her 4-year-old charge, Nicholas Huang are found murdered in their flat. Flor Contemplacion was subsequently tried for the murders and found guilty.^[7]
• 13 May – Underwater World opens its doors.^{[8] [9]}
• 31 May – The Van Kleef Aquarium closes after falling visitorship.^{[10] [11]}

June

• 1 June – Changi Airport Terminal 2 is officially opened.^[12]
• 3 June – The first National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) replacement exercise takes place in MacPherson Community Club in a programme spanning three years. The programme replaces the existing laminated NRICs to credit-card sized ones with features for higher security. It will also indicate blood types for use in emergencies.^[13]
• 6 June – The Civil Defence Academy starts construction. When completed in 1995, the S$63 million complex spanning nine-hectares will train Singapore Civil Defence Force officers, as well as offer computer simulations.^[14]
• 29 June – IMM opens its doors.

July

• 1 July -
  • Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is formed as Singapore's second university, previously known as the Nanyang Technological Institute.^[15]
  • The National Institute of Education (NIE) is formed from the merger of Institute of Education (IE) and the College of Physical Education (CPE). The institution is now part of NTU.^[16]

August

• 1 August – The Singapore International Foundation is formed to help in diplomacy.^[17]
• 2 August – Two areas in Singapore, namely the Central and Changi areas are gazetted as Tree Conservation Areas.^[18]
• 31 August – In the 1991 General Election, the People's Action Party team led by Goh Chok Tong won 77 out of 81 seats (including 41 uncontested seats) with a vote share of 61.0%; then the lowest vote share since surpassed by the 2011 General Election; which had 60.1%. The opposition won the remaining four, in which three seats went to the Singapore Democratic Party and one seat to the Workers' Party.^[19]

September

• 21 September – The second phase of the Central Expressway opens.^[20]

October

• 4 October – The Van Kleef Aquarium reopens as the World of Aquarium.^{[21] [11]}
• 15 October – The National Arts Council is formed to spearhead the development of the arts in Singapore.
• 16 October – PolyView is launched to enhance education and IT services. This comes after the release of the IT2000 masterplan a few weeks earlier.^[22]

November

• 24 November – The Keppel-Brani causeway is officially opened, making it the first road link between Singapore and an island.^[23]

Births

• 28 January – Sufi Rashid - Singaporean singer.
• 16 February – Aliff Aziz - Singaporean singer and actor^[24]
• 15 March – Atikah Suhaime - Singaporean actress.
• 21 June – Sachin Mylavarapu, Singaporean cricketer
• 26 July – Nathan Hartono, Singaporean singer and runner-up of Sing! China (season 1).^[25]
• Jerrold Yam, Singaporean poet and lawyer.

Deaths

• 25 January – Ismail Marjan - Badminton player, 70^[26]
• 17 March – Li Rulin - Chinese literary pioneer (b. 1914).^[27]
• 17 December – Chen Wen Hsi - Singapore's pioneer artist (b. 1906).^[28]

Notes and References

1. Web site: National Science and Technology Board is formed. 2013. National Library Board. 30 June 2019.
2. Web site: Shared Values are adopted. National Library Board. 22 July 2019.
3. Web site: Civics and moral education is introduced. National Library Board. 22 July 2019.
4. Web site: Official Opening of NTUC Radio Heart at Singapore Labour Foundation (SLF) Building . NAS . 27 August 2019 . 2 March 1991.
5. Web site: Official Opening of the New Horizon Centre at Lorong 2 Toa Payoh . NAS . 13 September 2019 . 16 March 1991.
6. Web site: History snippets: 1981 Onwards (A Maturing SAF): 1991 – SQ 117 Rescue. Choy Choi Kee. 4 May 2010. Singaporean Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). 21 June 2011.
7. Book: Flor Contemplacion: The Facts of the Case. Ministry of Information and the Arts, Singapore. Ministry of Information and the Arts, Singapore. 1995. Singapore. en. 419237137.
8. Web site: Underwater World scores with range of marine life . The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB) . 20 October 2019 . 14 May 1991.
9. Web site: Underwater World Singapore . NLB . 20 October 2019 . 14 May 1991.
10. Web site: Van Kleef Aquarium to close from Saturday . The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB) . 20 October 2019 . 28 May 1991.
11. Web site: Van Kleef Aquarium . NLB . 20 October 2019 . 14 May 1991.
12. Web site: Speech by the Prime Minister, Mr Goh Chok Tong, at the Official Opening of the Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2, on Saturday, 1 June 1991 at 11.00 AM . NAS . 27 May 2022 . 1 June 1991.
13. Web site: Face that launched new IC campaign (Page 10) . The New Paper (retrieved from NLB) . 27 August 2019 . 4 June 1991.
14. Web site: Ground-breaking Ceremony for the Civil Defence Academy . NAS . 13 September 2019 . 6 June 1991.
15. Web site: Nanyang Technological University is established. February 2015. National Library Board. 29 June 2019.
16. Web site: National Institute of Education is established. National Library Board. 22 July 2019.
17. Web site: Singapore International Foundation is established. National Library Board. 26 July 2019.
18. Web site: Tree Conservation Areas . NParks . 23 August 2019.
19. Web site: 1991 Parliamentary General Election. National Library Board. 26 July 2019.
20. Web site: Primers for driving down under . The Straits Times . 15 January 2020 . 21 September 1991.
21. Web site: World of Aquarium has a quiet opening . The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB) . 20 October 2019 . 5 October 1991.
22. Web site: Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Singapore Polytechnic and Singapore Telecom, and launching of PolyView . NAS . 18 August 2019 . 16 October 1991.
23. Web site: Sentosa Causeway. 30 June 2019.
24. News: Rahman. Noor. Singer Aliff Aziz to wed after Hari Raya. 9 March 2016. Star2. 17 June 2018. 17 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180617165052/https://www.star2.com/entertainment/music/music-news/2016/03/09/aliff-aziz-to-wed-after-hari-raya/. dead.
25. News: Who is Nathan Hartono? Here is The Truth Behind Indonesian Singing NDP Song 'Everything I am' .
26. News: Badminton great Ismail dies. The Straits Times. 26 January 1991.
27. Web site: Li Rulin . NLB . 29 October 2019.
28. Web site: Chen Wen Hsi . NLB . 12 November 2019.