Singapore Tiger Standard

The Singapore Standard more commonly known as Singapore Tiger Standard or Tiger Standard, was a Singapore newspaper that was published in English language. The newspaper was founded by millionaire Aw Boon Haw, who was famous for his Tiger Balm and Star Newspapers. Singapore Standard was the sister newspaper of Hongkong Tiger Standard (publishes in English), as well as Sin Chew Jit Po of Singapore and Malaysia, which were published in Chinese. Aw Boon Haw also founded many newspapers in other location. Shortly after the Colony of Singapore gained its self-governance, Sin Poh Amalgamated, the publisher, stopped to publish the newspaper in 1959.[2] It was reported that Aw Cheng Taik, a relative of Aw (Aw Boon Haw died in 1954) and former managing director of Singapore Standard, founded another "Tiger Newspaper" (Chinese: 中文虎報; lit. 'Chinese Tiger Newspaper' or known as Chinese: 吉隆坡虎報; lit. 'Kuala Lumpur Tiger Newspaper') in August 1959 in Kuala Lumpur in the Federation of Malaya, which published in Chinese language.[3][4][5] "Kuala Lumpur Tiger" was stopped to publish either in 1961, due to financial difficulties.[6]

Singapore Standard
Sunday magazine, 12 November 1950
Typedaily newspaper
Owner(s)Sin Poh Amalgamated[1]
Founder(s)Aw Boon Haw
PublisherSin Poh Amalgamated
PresidentAw Cheng Taik
Founded3 July 1950[2]
Ceased publication31 July 1959
CountrySingapore
Sister newspapers
OCLC number19257286
Singapore Tiger Standard
Traditional Chinese星洲虎報
Literal meaningSingapore Tiger News

Singapore Standard, the Federation of Malaya edition was also published by the same press for nearby Federation of Malaya.

History

Singapore Standard was founded by millionaire Aw Boon Haw in 1950. Despite born in Burma, he was ethnic Hakka Chinese. According to Joe Conceicao, a former member of parliament of Singapore, the newspaper reflected the Chinese entreprenetiral interests.[7] The foundation of the newspaper was shortly before the closure of Malaya Tribune [in January 1951], an English newspaper.[8] However, shortly after its foundation, his son, Aw Hoe (Chinese: 胡好), who helped to found The Standard newspapers as well as Sing Tao Daily, died during a plane crash in January 1951.[9][10] Other sons and relatives of Aw Boon Haw then filled the positions (such as managing director, Chinese: 社長) to manage Singapore Standard. Aw Boon Haw died in 1954, which Hong Kong Tiger Standard fall to the hand of his daughter Sally Aw and his grandson Aw Toke Tone (Chinese: 胡督東, son of Aw Hoe), which Sally Aw had a bitter relationship with her Singapore-based family members, regarding the heritage of Aw Boon Haw in Hong Kong. It was reported that the last managing director of Singapore Standard was Aw Cheng Taik (Chinese: 胡清德), nephew of Aw Boon Haw and son of the late Aw Boon Par.[11][12] Nevertheless, under Aw family, Singapore Standard became one of the most circulated English newspaper in the colony of Singapore, which Singapore Standard was credited as "№2", by its competitor The Straits Times in April 1959.[13]

In the eve of Singaporean general election, May 1959, former Singapore Standard and The Straits Times editor S. Rajaratnam, who was a politician of People's Action Party (PAP) at that time, attacked Singapore Standard was ‘less intelligent’ and ‘anti-Merdeka’ [anti-independence] in April 1959.[13] PAP also attacked The Straits Times in April, as well as mentioning Singapore Standard.[14]

Despite the State of Singapore Act was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1958, the de facto self-governance of Singapore was achieved after May 1959 election, which PAP became the ruling party and still the ruling party at present. Shortly after PAP gained the power, Aw family decided to close down the newspaper on 31 July 1959, without announcing any reason.[2][15][16] Singapore Union of Journalists[nb 1] expressed ‘deep concern’ on the closure, saying nearly all the staff did not know the closure until on the same day of the press release of Singapore Standard on 31 July.[18] It was reported that the staff of the newspaper submitted the claim of additional severance package, but the management board refused to increase it.[1][19]

Masthead and name

The masthead of the newspaper featured the name Singapore Standard, as well as the Tiger trademark of Aw Boon Haw's Eng Aun Tong in between the two words, making the common name of the newspaper was Singapore Tiger Standard.[20] In some version, the Chinese name 星洲虎報, literally "Singapore Tiger News" was also shown.[21] The sister newspaper in Hong Kong, was still called 英文虎報 as its Chinese proper name, literally "English Tiger News", despite its official name in English was just The Standard.

Notable staffs

OCLC numbers

Footnotes
  1. A predecessor of Singapore National Union of Journalists[17]

References
  1. "Mr. AW IS ASKED TO ATTEND TALKS". The Straits Times. Singapore. 15 August 1959. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  2. 出版歷時九年零二十八天 星洲英文虎報突停刊 暫行停版通告刋於昨日最後一期虎報封面 事前保守高度秘密於清晨五時許始行排上 二百餘職工不滿意僅獲一個月津貼. Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). Singapore. 1 August 1959. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  3. 雪華報業有限公司代理中文虎報. Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). Singapore. 10 August 1959. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  4. 王, 振春 (May 2016). 那些年我在报馆: 一个老报人的狮城往事 (in Chinese) (1 ed.). Singapore: Lingzi Media. p. 195. ISBN 978-981-4671-64-4. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Google Book preview.
  5. Chong, Fah Hing (April 2016). 戰後馬華（民國）文學遺址：文學史再勘察 [Chinese Malaysian Literature of Republican Traces in Post War Era: Literary History Revisited]. Taiwan Journal of Southeast Asian Studies (in Chinese). National Chi Nan University. 11 (1): 17. OCLC 676713685. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  6. Written at Kuala Lumpur. 吉隆坡虎報被銀行接管 今起停止出版. Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). Singapore. 16 November 1961. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  7. Conceicao, Joe (2014). Singapore and the Many Headed Monster: A new perspective on the riots of 1950,1961 and 1969 (ebook). ISBN 9781456622954. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Google Book preview.
  8. Turnbull, C. M. (1995). Dateline Singapore: 150 Years of The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 178. ISBN 9812046151. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Google Book preview. The Singapore Tiger Standard was launched shortly before the Tribune petered out.
  9. 胡好一行人仍無消息. Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). Singapore. 21 January 1951. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  10. 星洲日報飛機撞山慘禍眞相大白 胡好等遺物飛運返星 猛撞山頂大樹後機身與人體俱粉碎飛散 據查乃航空圖上錯寫山峯高度以致失事 追悼會在籌備中日期尚未决定. Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). Singapore. 11 February 1951. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  11. "The Aw family". New Nation. Singapore. 23 July 1971. Retrieved 6 October 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  12. "Still a director". New Nation. Singapore. 28 July 1971. Retrieved 8 October 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  13. "Ex-journalist leads PAP attack No. 2 on the English Press, He quit because a change in policy". The Straits Times. Singapore. 23 April 1959. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  14. "PAP attacks the Straits Times". The Straits Times. Singapore. 16 April 1959. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  15. "Plenty Of Room". The Straits Times. Singapore. 1 August 1959. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  16. "After 9 years paper closes doors". The Straits Times. Singapore. 1 August 1959 [Written on 31 July 1959]. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  17. http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/photographs/record-details/642934e0-1162-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad
  18. "Closure of paper: Union is 'concerned'". The Straits Times. Singapore. 3 August 1959. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  19. 英文虎報勞資今晨續談判. Nanyang Siang Pau (in Chinese). Singapore. 15 August 1959. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  20. "Magazine entitled 'Singapore Tiger Standard' [Sunday edition on 12 November 1950]". roots.sg. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  21. http://diarysingapore.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/1953-straits-times-god-save-queen.html
  22. "The PAP's new publicity chief". The Straits Times. Singapore. 17 April 1959. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via Singapore National Library.
  23. Ng, Irene (2010). The Singapore Lion: A Biography of S. Rajaratnam. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 978-981-4279-52-9 – via Google Book preview.
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