ABOUT

Laws of Our Land: Foundations of a New Nation is a permanent exhibition curated by the National Library Board that explores the passing of three major laws that have laid the foundation of the Singapore we know today, the Citizenship Ordinance (1957), the Women's Charter (1961) and the Employment Act (1968). These three laws anchor the exhibition's three sections, which use records from the collections of the National Archives of Singapore, the National Library and partner institutions to trace how antecedent laws evolved to meet the demands of society, and the changing circumstances which led to the passing of these landmark laws. The laws serve as foundation pillars of our nation by continuing to shape and underpin the rights of Singapore’s citizens, women and workers.

The Importance of the Three Laws

The Citizenship Ordinance (1957) created the legal status of Singapore citizen and paved the way for Singapore to become a self-governing state and later an independent nation-state.

The Woman’s Charter (1961) introduced a unitary monogamous law to govern non-Muslim marriage and protection of the rights of women and has been the legislation at the core of Singapore family law.

The Employment Act (1968) modernised Singapore’s labour laws to meet the needs of the new industrial economy and remains Singapore’s main labour law regulating the basic terms and working conditions for employees in Singapore.