Chapter 2 - Social Surveys and Politics

Summary

Our social revolution is not brought about by violence. It is the result of the impact of history.

— Goh Keng Swee (“The Social Revolution in Malaya”, 1959)

In June 1946, soon after the Labour Party in Great Britain came to power, a Social Welfare Department was established in Singapore. This body, where Goh worked after returning with his family from Malacca following the fall of Japan, was initially concerned with distributing money to the post-war poor, and providing food for the destitute.

A committee was later formed at the department for the express purpose of conducting a first-ever social survey to determine the conditions under which Singaporeans were living. Goh was made supervisor for the project. Monie Sundram, an old schoolmate from the Anglo-Chinese School and Supervisor of Public Assistance at the department, who later became a lawyer; and Goh's old teacher, Silcock, were also involved in it (ACS Magazine Vol. XVII 1948: 48).

As reported in The Straits Times, the initial survey involving 500 households carried out in July/August that year revealed “the terrible state of overcrowding in Singapore homes, and the amazing diversity of family structure — ranging from a single man to a family of over 25 making up a household” (ST 23/11/ 47). The response in the survey was good, with only 16 refusals among the 500. This was partly due to the chosen tactic of avoiding questions on household incomes. The fear was that public suspicion that such information would be used for tax assessment would affect the participation rate (Department of Social Welfare 1947: 20).

Goh, with Sundram as secretary, took charge of the project's detailed planning and the training of staff, which included directing the Social Survey Group at Raffles College during the 1947–48 academic year (Annual Report 1947–48; Singapore Department of Social Welfare 1947: 21–22). About 100 students helped out in the survey. Half of these were from Raffles College's Economics Department, while the rest came from King Edward VII's College of Medicine, and Saint Andrew's School. (ST23/11/ 47). In recalling these matters years later, Silcock thought the project a major event for the school, and certainly for Goh.