1972 in Singapore

The following lists events that happened during 1972 in Singapore.

Incumbents

• President: Benjamin Henry Sheares
• Prime Minister: Lee Kuan Yew

Events

January

• 1 January – The Post Office Savings Bank is turned into a statutory board. This allows the bank more freedom to run its operations.

February

• 7 February – The National Wages Council is set up to ensure sustainable wages. This comes after wages have risen quickly the previous year.

April

• 1 April – The Telephone Department is converted into a statutory board called the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore.
• 2 April – The Singapore Grand Prix is won by Max Stewart.

May

• 12 May – The National Productivity Board is formed to encourage productivity.

June

• 15 June – The SAF Act comes into effect, allowing for effective management of the Singapore Armed Forces. The Act merges the air, sea and land vocations and establishes the Armed Forces Council.

July

• 2 July – Singapore Armed Forces Reservist Association is officially launched.
• 20 July – The Stop at Two policy is unveiled to encourage people to have smaller families.

August

• 17 August – Work starts on the Brani Naval Base.

September

• 1 September – The Sentosa Development Corporation is formed to manage Sentosa and the outlying islands to attract tourists.
• 2 September – The People's Action Party wins the 1972 General Election.
• 15 September – The first Merlion Park is officially opened.
• 18 September – 22-year-old Chan Chee Chan is shot dead while walking through Queenstown; the crime remains unsolved.

October

• 1 October – Singapore Airlines starts its first flights.
• 13 October – Heavy fog, an environmental phenomenon that had built up since the beginning of the month, causes gridlock and other problems throughout Singapore.
• 24 October – Disincentives are announced to nudge families into having only two children, taking effect on 1 August 1973. Among them are progressive reduction of income tax relief to the first three children; increase in childbirth fees depending on births; reduction of paid maternity leave from three to two confinements; and lowering priority of HDB flats allocations for large families (more than two children).

November

• 21 November – A fire engulfs the Robinson's Department Store, causing 9 deaths. In addition, the impact of the fire damaged the roof of the Overseas Union Bank building and forced the Stock Exchange to stop trading for the day. As a result, this makes the fire one of the worst in Singapore's history.

December

• 15 December -
• OCBC acquires Four Seas Communications Bank.
• SATS Ltd is established as a separate company from Singapore Airlines to manage ground operations and inflight catering services.

Date unknown

• The OG building is officially opened.
• Three Rifles Holdings is founded, becoming a company selling clothes.
• Specialists' Shopping Centre is opened in Orchard Road. It has since been demolished.
• The first Guardian store is opened by Cold Storage.
• Shaw Centre is opened.

Births

• 22 February – Dasmond Koh, actor.
• 26 April – Diana Ser, journalist, media personality.
• 27 May – Lynn Ban, jewellery designer (died 2025)
• 15 September – Kit Chan, singer.
• 30 September – Darren Lim, actor.
• 6 November – Janil Puthucheary, politician.
• 18 December – Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister.
• Alvin Pang - poet.

Deaths

• 4 April – Lionel Chan, racing driver (injuries sustained in a crash during the Singapore Grand Prix) (b. 1944).
• 5 May – Chen Su Lan, one of Singapore's first local medical graduates, philanthropist and social reformer (b. 1885).
• 12 July – Mohamed Sidik bin Haji Abdul Hamid, former Malay Union legislative assemblyman for Southern Islands Constituency (b. 1896).
• 10 August – Saminathan Jaganathan, former City Councillor for South Constituency (b. 1920).
• 5 September – Bashir Ahmad Mallal, founder of Malayan Law Journal (b. 1898).
• 11 September – Tan Lark Sye, former Chairman of the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan and founder of Nanyang University (b. 1897).

References