The Constitution of Singapore is the supreme law of Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

  and it is a codified constitution.

The constitution cannot be amended without the support of more than two-thirds of the members of parliament

Parliament of Singapore

The Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...

 on the second and third readings . The president may seek opinion on constitutional issues from a tribunal consisting of not fewer than three judges of the Supreme Court

Supreme Court of Judicature

Supreme Court of Judicature may refer to:* Supreme Court of Judicature . Supreme Court of Barbados* Supreme Court of Judicature , Supreme Court of Guyana* Supreme Court of Judicature , the supreme court in Ireland from 1877 to 1920...

. Singaporean courts, like the courts in Australia, cannot offer advisory opinion

Advisory opinion

An advisory opinion is an opinion issued by a court that does not have the effect of adjudicating a specific legal case, but merely advises on the constitutionality or interpretation of a law. Some countries have procedures by which the executive or legislative branches may certify important...

s on the constitutionality of laws .

Parts of the Constitution

The Constitution of Singapore consists of the following 14 parts:

1. Preliminary
2. The Republic and the Constitution
3. Protection of the sovereignty of the Republic of Singapore
4. Fundamental liberties
5. The Government
6. The Legislature
7. The Presidential Council for Minority Rights
8. The Judiciary
9. The Public Service
10. Citizenship
11. Financial Provisions
12. Special powers against subversion and emergency powers
13. General provisions
14. Transitional provisions

Fundamental liberties

Part IV of the constitution guarantees the following:

1. liberty of a person
2. prohibition of slavery and forced labour
3. protection against retrospective criminal laws and repeated trials
4. equal protection
5. prohibition of banishment and freedom of movement
6. freedom of speech, assembly and association
7. freedom of religion
8. right to education

Part XII of the constitution allows the Parliament of Singapore

Parliament of Singapore

The Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...

 to enact legislation designed to stop or prevent subversion. Such legislation is valid even if it is inconsistent with Part IV of the constitution.

History timeline

• 1946, following the end of the Japanese Occupation of Singapore
  Japanese Occupation of Singapore
  The Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore...
  
  , the Straits Settlements
  Straits Settlements
  The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia.Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under direct British control as a crown colony on 1 April 1867...
  
   was dissolved and Singapore became a separate Crown Colony
  Crown colony
  A Crown colony, also known in the 17th century as royal colony, was a type of colonial administration of the English and later British Empire....
  
  . A new Colonial Constitution was passed.
• 1955, the Rendel Constitution, originally proposed in 1953, came into effect. It gave the local population more power to determine the government but the colonial administration still held most of the authority over internal matters.
• 1958, after Lim Yew Hock
  Lim Yew Hock
  Lim Yew Hock , later renamed Haji Omar Lim Yew Hock, was Singapore’s second Chief Minister from 1956 to 1959. He is known for suppressing the communist movements and leading the all-party delegation that won internal self-government for Singapore....
  
  's successful negotiation with the British government, the British Parliament passed a State of Singapore Act and Singapore's status was changed from a colony to a state. The Singapore (Constitution) Order-in-Council was enacted and it created the position of a Yang di-Pertuan Negara
  Yang di-Pertuan Negara
  Yang di-Pertuan Negara, meaning "Head of State" in Malay, was used as an official title at various times in Sabah, Singapore and Brunei.-Singapore:...
  
   as the constitutional head of state, a prime minister
  Prime Minister of Singapore
  The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
  
   and a 51-elected member Legislative Assembly
  Legislative Assembly
  Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature, or to one of its branch.The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as a number of Latin American countries....
  
  .
• 1963, Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia. The Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore (State Constitutions) Order-in-Council was enacted.
• 1965, Singapore was separated from Malaysia, effected by three documents: The Constitution of Malaysia (Singapore Amendment) Act, the Constitution of Singapore (Amendment) Act and the Republic of Singapore Independence Act of 1965.
• 1970, to safeguard the rights of the racial, linguistic and religious minorities, the Presidential Council was established and later renamed the Presidential Council for Minority Rights
  Presidential Council for Minority Rights
  The Presidential Council for Minority Rights is a non-elected government body in Singapore established in 1970, the main function of which is to scrutinize most of the bills passed by Parliament to ensure that they do not discriminate against any racial or religious community...
  
   in 1973.
• 1984, a constitutional amendment was passed to provide for non-constituency members of Parliament
  Non-Constituency Member of Parliament
  Non-Constituency Members of Parliament are members of the opposition parties who are appointed as members of the Parliament of Singapore even though they had lost in the parliamentary election....
  
  .
• 1988, a constitutional amendment was passed to introduce group representation constituencies
  Group Representation Constituency
  A Group Representation Constituency is a type of electoral division or constituency in Singapore, the Members of Parliament of which are voted into Parliament as a group...
  
   (GRCs). At least one member of the GRC must be from a minority race.
• 1988, the constitution was amended to provide for nominated members of Parliament
  Nominated Member of Parliament
  A Nominated Member of Parliament is a Member of the Parliament of Singapore who is appointed instead of being elected into office by the people, and who does not belong to any political party or represent any constituency. There are currently nine NMPs in Parliament...
  
  .
• 1991, the constitution was amended to provide for a popularly elected president
  President of Singapore
  The President of the Republic of Singapore is Singapore's head of state. In a Westminster parliamentary system, as which Singapore governs itself, the prime minister is the head of the government while the position of president is largely ceremonial. Before 1993, the President of Singapore was...
  
  .

Further reading