WHAT’S THE STORY?
IT was 200 years ago today that Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles arrived in Singapore to sign a treaty with the local Sultan. Ever since, February 6, 1819, has generally been considered as the foundation date of modern Singapore, which prior to then had been something of a backwater.
When Raffles arrived the population was estimated at little more than 1000. The city-state and island in south-east Asia is now one of the most dynamic economies in the world with a diverse population of more than 5.6 million people, about 300,000 more than Scotland.
WHO WAS RAFFLES?
BORN on board a ship in the Caribbean to a Yorkshire family in 1781, Raffles emerged from boarding school to join the British East India Company in London as a clerk.
He soon made his way through the ranks and was sent to Malaya in 1805. He learned the Malay language and impressed the first of two Scotsmen who would assist him in his career. Sir Gilbert Elliot, later first earl of Minto, was governor-general of India and promoted Raffles to the post of lieutenant-governor of the East Indies after British forces under Raffles’ leadership took the island of Java off the French and subjugated the local rulers.
His wife Olivia died on Java in 1814, and Raffles returned to England to clear his name after being accused of financial impropriety. He was cleared but by the time he was ready to return, Java was in the hands of the Dutch, which meant that in 1818, Raffles was given the governorship of Bencoolen (Bengkulu).
He became interested in the relatively small island of Singapura and correctly deduced its strategic significance and its possibilities as a trading post. A second Scotsman, Major William Farquhar, helped him at this point as they negotiated with the local chieftain Temenggong Abdul Rahman. This led to the formal Singapore Treaty of February 6, 1819, which Raffles signed with the Temenggong and Sultan Hussein, the ruler that the British had effectively installed on the island.
The treaty confirmed the right for the British to set up a trading post on Singapore and the rest, as they say, is history.
WHAT HAPPENED TO RAFFLES?
HE went off to run other colonies for four years and left Farquhar to carry out his plans for Singapore. Farquhar deviated slightly from the masterplan and the two men fell out spectacularly. The locals adored Farquhar and gave him a very fond farewell when Raffles had him removed in 1823. The two men were still arguing in public and in the courts a year or two later as to who had actually done the most work for Singapore. Raffles died after a stoke in 1826. He was just 44.
It was British imperialism, of course, that drove him but Raffles did put an end to slavery wherever he went and his imposition of the English language helped establish Singapore as a trading hub. It is now one of the republic’s four official languages.
ISN’T THERE A FAMOUS HOTEL NAMED AFTER HIM?
THERE is. The Raffles Hotel has legendary status as one of the world’s best-known luxury hotels. Like the man himself, by all accounts, it has great charm, and was designed and built in 1887 by Armenian brothers the Sarkies, based on a pre-existing beach house. It has since undergone several renovations and is ultimately owned by the investment arm of the Qatar Government. It is currently closed for refurbishment.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SINGAPORE?
RULED at first by the East India Company, the island was ceded to British Raj control in 1858 and became a Crown Colony. The long years of British colonial rule from 1824 onwards saw the island thrive, with ethnic Chinese immigrants flooding into the area after the city developed into a major port.
The rubber industry made Singapore wealthy, and when Britain added a huge naval base in the 1920s and 30s Singapore looked impregnable. But in February 1942, the island with 80,000-plus British and Australian service personnel had to surrender to the invading Japanese.
The ensuing, often brutal occupation ended with the Japanese surrender in August, 1945. There were subsequently years of trouble in the area, especially within the Malaysian Federation. It included Singapore until 1965, when the Malaysian parliament voted to expel Singapore – an unusual way to gain independence.
The pro-independence People’s Action Party was already in control of a largely self-governing state, and formed the first government of the republic. It has never been out of power since.
The first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, became the guiding force of Singapore.His policies, which limited democracy but promoted economic growth, remained in force for almost 50 years and have only recently been varied, though some would argue there has been little sign of change.
Singapore, which remains in the Commonwealth, has a booming economy, increasing tourism and a diverse population who score high on the Happiness Index. Its growing importance on the world stage was also demonstrated when it hosted the landmark summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un.
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