Reassessing the founding of Singapore

Abstract

In both the local and colonial narratives of the founding of Singapore, Raffles prominently takes the center stage, with his flawless image cemented by early biographical works and later embraced by the Singapore government in order to meet the country’s nation-building needs. Yet, his deeply entrenched position as a maker of the British Empire and founder of Singapore had eclipsed the efforts of other prominent individuals who were likewise emblematic of Singapore’s early success, such as Major General William Farquhar and the Malay chiefs, Tengku Long (later Sultan Hussein) and Temenggong Abdul Rahman. With the upcoming Singapore bicentennial in 2019 that commemorates the founding of Singapore in 1819 by Raffles, it is time for the maturing nation to look beyond its 1819 framework and into the Malay world which too, forms an integral part of it’s past. This thesis seeks to reassess the founding of Singapore by examining the roles of the Malay chiefs who, like Raffles, were pivotal in the founding of Singapore. Who were the Malay chiefs and why did they agree to sign the 1819 Singapore Treaty? Certainly, without their consent and agreement, Raffles would not have managed to establish a British settlement in Singapore as easily as he managed to.