1982

8 Confucian scholars are invited to visit to assist in drawing up a conceptual framework for the syllabus of Confucian Ethics under Moral Education.
MEP is introduced.
SBC’s first locally produced drama, “Seletar Robbery”, a 50-minute police thriller, is telecast.
Ang Peng Siong breaks the world record for the 50 metre freestyle.
The UOB Painting of the Year competition is launched.
Courtesy campaign and Civil Defence Programme are launched.
Sentosa Monorail system built. Musical Fountain opens.
The Merlion Cup is held, Singapore's first international soccer event.
Catherine Lim's first novel, “The Serpent's Tooth” is published.
Paik Choo's "Eh, Goondu!" is published. It is the first text to display Singlish in a written form.
Tommy Koh contributes to the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Cosmopolitan magazine is banned for "promoting sexual permissiveness". (In 2004, the ban is lifted by the MDA, with the stipulation that the magazine must not contain exploitative sex or nudity, and must be shrink-wrapped with a label on its cover reading "unsuitable for children".)
Foreshadowing the ban of chewing gum in a decade’s time was a stern word from then foreign and culture minister, Mr S Dhanabalan. He said that HDB spent $75, 000 a year removing chewing gum wads from walls and floors in housing estates – presumably a preposterous sum for its purposes. That year, television commercials for chewing gums were banned.
January 1: Time changes to GMT+8
January 2: The metric system is officially introduced.
28 October: Malaysian-born doctor Wong Ming Yang, first wife of Lee Hsien Loong, dies of a heart attack three weeks after giving birth to their son, a mildly autistic albino. Rumours persist that this was a suicide.