Reflection
From this history project and research, we've learnt about the differences in society in the past and present. 
It was very different during the 60's. People did not have equal rights and were not treated fairly due to language, race and religion. We learnt that it is important to work together as one and that everyone deserves equal treatment. Through the Hock Lee bus riots, we can see that it is mostly due to the different views of various groups of people that results in riots. As the workers of the Hock Lee Amalgamated Bus Company were unwilling to compromise , they resorted to fighting for their own rights. With the example of David Marshall and his political dispute with the other members of parliament including the British, we can learn that trust and respect is a very important thing. As the British did not trust David Marshall, they turned his idea down as they did not trust him and did not believe in his abilities, in what he could really do. For instance, if they had trust among themselves, there might be more possibilities in their partnership and the ideas that David Marshall had might also be carried out, leading a better future for Singapore. They also did not respect Marshall very much, as they thought he was against them. From the Hock Lee bus riots, we learnt that the life of the workers were tough as they had to work for very long and tiring hours just to get a minimal pay every month to support themselves. Also, we saw that life was unfair in the past, those who were Chinese educated were not treated fairly as those who were English educated, such that even with the same qualifications and positions in a company, the Chinese educated worker would be paid lesser than the English educated worker. The government also funded the English schools more than the Chinese schools, with Chung Cheng being one of them in the past. The bus drivers were not respected as well, when they asked for more pay and better living conditions, they were just bluntly ignored hence causing the loss of 4 lives and many injured in the resulting riot.


Hock lee bus riots is one of the earliest riots happened after Singapore gain independence.What has been long lacking in Singapore history is social history, in this case a history of the Hock Lee Bus riots that explores the needs, worldviews and lives of workers. They resort to strike only when material conditions were bad enough and no alternative recourse was available, because a strike was a risky act that entailed the loss of income and possibly the job.It is necessary to remember the hock lee bus riots as it serve as a lesson for us.After the incident,many lives were lost and destruction caused.Police will learn how to handle the case if (hopefully not) such cases happened again.The strikers were caught up in a riot that they did not want because of the circumstances and tensions of the times.Ultimately riot happened because the bus company refused to recognize the legitimate grievances of the workers and refused to negotiate...so riot.Thus,hock lee bus company must be fair and negotiate to have a happy ending.A lesson learnt, blood shed,destruction caused,lives gone.All of this is now history.Hopefully, history will not repeat itself all over again.