Publication Type
Blog Post
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
9-2015
Abstract
The Singapore legal system is a rich tapestry of laws, institutions, values, history and culture. Like the Singapore-made quilt, each strand of the legal system is woven together to form a jurisprudential kaleidoscope bounded by a unique national identity.
The legal system will inevitably undergo tension as socio-economic and politico-legal changes unfold with increased globalisation and regionalisation. Thus, Singapore has to respond swiftly and deftly in creating new laws and institutions or adapting existing ones.
In this regard, Singapore is and has been ready and willing to learn from the legal developments taking place in foreign jurisdictions with similar aspirations. Sometimes, old solutions may have to be discarded and new fangled ideas tested with appropriate modifications to suit local circumstances. In this process of the (sometimes) rigorous adaptation, learning and constant change, however, history remains a useful (though not infallible) guide for the present and the future path of Singapore law.
Keywords
Singapore, laws, legal system
Discipline
Asian Studies | Law | Legal History
Research Areas
Asian and Comparative Legal Systems; Public Law
Publication
Laws of Singapore
Publisher
Singapore Academy of Law
City or Country
Singapore
Citation
TAN, Eugene K. B. and CHAN, Gary Kok Yew.
The Singapore Legal System. (2015). Laws of Singapore.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/466
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
http://www.singaporelawwatch.sg/About-Singapore-Law/Overview/ch-01-the-singapore-legal-system