1 January – YES 933, a Mandarin radio station, starts broadcast.
22 January – DBS Land (present day CapitaLand) through its subsidiary Real Estate Holdings Pte Ltd is awarded the project to restore Clarke Quay, which will be completed by 1993 along with Boat Quay. These conserved shophouses will have shopping, entertainment and recreation facilities.[1]
7 February – The Ministry of Health allows the transplant of heart and liver on a pilot basis, making it the first such transplant.[2]
13 February – The Singapore Aviation Academy starts construction, formed from the previous Training Centre. The Academy's new building will have more aviation courses, state-of-the-art equipment, among other stuff. The facility, when completed by end 1991, will be the first in Asia. It officially opened in 1992.[3]
15 May – Known as the Amber Beacon Tower murder, a young couple were attacked by two unknown men at the tower in East Coast Park during their date. The girlfriend, Kelly Tan Ah Hong, was killed while her boyfriend James Soh Fook Leong was grievously injured. The murder remains unsolved till today.[6][7][8][9]
1 July – Medishield is launched as an insurance scheme, providing an additional buffer for medical costs. It has since been replaced by Medishield Life in 2015 for universal coverage.[10]
Singapore's first heart transplant is performed on Wee Soo Hup, a 59-year-old retired information officer suffering from terminal heart disease, led by Dr Tong Ming Chuan from the Singapore General Hospital. The operation is declared a success.[13]
13 October – The first 8 Days issue is published.[15][16]
31 October – SingTel launched Teleview, a service which provides information instantly. The launch of Teleview makes it the first picture-quality videotext system in the world.[17]
25 November – The Farecard and integrated Ticketing System is launched by TransitLink.[22]
27 November – The Malaysia–Singapore Points of Agreement of 1990 is signed over the issue of Keretapi Tanah Melayu land in Singapore, as well as joint development of land with a ratio of 60:40. However, the way the agreement was implemented resulted in disputes, with it completely resolved on 24 May 2010.
The Ministry of Information and the Arts is formed from the previous Ministry of Communications and Information and sections of the previous Ministry of Community Development. This will help to create a culturally vibrant Singapore.[23]
