Comparison of sources

Source A: David Marshall, a political leader, in a public speech under the apple tree at Old Parliament House, 1956

"Merdeka! People of Singapore! Last year, this time, in the month of March: a time of agony. I came before you, day after day at lunch time, to speak to you of the dangers that the future held and to put before you a blueprint for a miracle. I did not dream, I did not dare believe, that you would give us an opportunity to make that miracle possible.

I think you know, when I was first elected and appointed Chief Minister, I was told that I had no office, no clerk, no thambi*. And oh they couldn't give me any office - it took a long time - government offices were extremely overloaded - and there was a lot of difficulty. I had to threaten to bring a desk here and set it up here or in my flat before I could get an office."

*a boy, or a male servant, usually tasked with simple errands such as fetching tea

Source B: A historian's account of the Chinese Unions in 1956

"From early April until the end of December 1955, Singapore witnessed a staggering labour stoppages, walk-offs, go-slows and sit-downs - if we exclude Sundays, that means more than one labour protest every working day. Out on the streets, Chinese students ignored the government's official closure of their schools, and in a repeat of the previous year locked themselves into their classrooms, where they established their own revolutionary curriculum."

How similar are sources A and B? 

Both sources, A&B, are similar in content about lack of resources. This can be seen from source A, where it states “And oh they couldn't give me any office - it took a long time - government offices were extremely overloaded - and there was a lot of difficulty.”. This shows that the government did not want to give David Marshall an office, even though it is a basic need for any political figures and furthermore he is a political leader. Similarly, Source B states that “Out on the streets, Chinese students ignored the government's official closure of their schools, and in a repeat of the previous year locked themselves into their classrooms, where they established their own revolutionary curriculum.” This shows that the government is not even able to provide the basic need for the students as the schools are being closed down and the students whose job is to study will not be able to complete their education. Therefore, the two sources are similar in lack of resources.