As with other common law counties, the primary sources of Singapore's laws are:
Muslim Law in personal legal matters, such as family law and inheritance, is also a source of law by virtue of the Administration of Muslim Law Act (A) (Cap 3, 2009 Rev Ed). Muslim law is administered by the Syariah Court.
Singapore has a common law legal system as a result of its colonial past as part of the British empire. The influence of the English common law on the development of Singapore law is generally more evident in certain traditional common law areas, such as contract, tort and equity, than in other statute-based areas such as criminal law and company law. Although judicial decisions from England and other Commonwealth jurisdictions are not binding on Singapore courts, Singapore has paid great deference to English decisions until recently, as Singapore departs from the decisions of English courts and develops its own local jurisprudence. Jurisdictions such as India and Australia have strongly influenced the approach and content of some of Singapore's statutes.
For an introduction to Singapore's legal system and its history, see:
Essays in Singapore Legal History by Modern-day Singapore was founded by the British. Singapore, together with Malacca and Penang, the two British settlements in the Malay Peninsula, became the Straits Settlements in 1826, under the control of British India. In 1946, Singapore became a Crown Colony. Self-government was attained in 1959. Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia in 1963 but left the Federation in 1965 to become a sovereign, democratic and independent state.
Singapore is a constitutional republic with a secular government. Its structure of government is set out in the Constitution and is based on the Westminster system of the United Kingdom. Governmental power is distributed across three branches of government: the legislature, executive and judiciary. Separation of powers is a basic feature of the Constitution. Singapore has an elected President as its head of state. Singapore’s legislature comprises of a single house of parliament.
Singapore is a multiracial and multi-religious society. The indigenous people of Singapore are Malays, who are recognised as such in the Constitution (Article 152(2)). The national language is Malay (Article 153A(2) of the Constitution), but the government recognises four official languages: Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and English (Article 153A(1) of the Constitution). The predominant languages spoken are English and Mandarin.
The following resources include general country information - history, demographics, economy, politics and government etc.
See also:
The Evolution of the Asian Developmental State: Hong Kong and Singapore by 
Liberalism Disavowed: communitarianism and state capitalism in Singapore by 
Singapore: negotiating state and society 1965-2015 by 
Negotiating Muslim Malay Identity in Singapore: the role of modern Islam by 
Multiculturalism, Migration, and the Politics of Identity in Singapore by See:
The Rule of Law & Human Rights in Singapore page on the Human Rights in ASEAN website (open access).
The World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - Country Profile for Singapore (open access).
Update on the Rule of Law for Human Rights in ASEAN: The Path to Integration (2016) (open access) (published by the Human Rights Resource Centre). Includes a detailed chapter on Singapore.
Amnesty International's latest report on Singapore
US Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016: Singapore
Bünte, Marco,'The Rule of law in Illiberal Contexts: Cambodia and Singapore as Exemplars' in:
Politics and Constitutions in Southeast Asia by 
Authoritarian Rule of Law: Legislation, Discourse and Legitimacy in Singapore by The most popular and authoritative English language daily newspaper in Singapore is The Straits Times. This paper began in 1845.
