ssa-2211 ca2
SSA2211 Evolution of a Global City-State
Part 1
Presently, colonial Singapore is one of Asia’s leading port cities. Her rise from a little known piece of land to what she is currently is by no means achieved easily, and much deliberation and effort were required. Thomas Stanford Raffles, William Farquhar and John Crawfurd each had their contributions to the building of Singapore. Undeniably the influx of trades from within the region helped Singapore to progress into highly popular port, but what enabled this were the combined efforts of the mentioned 3 important figures.
It began on 1819, when Raffles “made a claim for the British East India Company on the Island of Singapore”. Though the idea wasn’t entirely supported, Raffles was the person that initiated the first step in evolving Singapore into a port that will be successful in the then future.1 After signing the treaty with Sultan Hussein and Temenggong Abdul Rahman, Raffles drew up the Raffles Town Plan in 1822 which spurred the development of Singapore not only as a port, but as attractive regional hub. It was also Raffles who introduced the idea of a free trade policy in Singapore. “Raffles had determined that the port of Singapore would be a free port and this more liberal trade policy helped ensure that Singapore stood out from rival trading ports in the region in what became an era of burgeoning global commerce”. Coupled with her convenient location and the increase in mass of trade regionally, Singapore attracted traders in the region and these gave Singapore an opportunity to rise as a global entrepot.2
Though Raffles didn’t spend much time physically at Singapore, he has had much contribution to the successful port-city. In his absence, he appointed Farquhar to continue his plans for the developing Singapore.
Before he became the first Resident of Singapore, Farquhar was based in Malacca, and had experience dealing with the Malay leaders. With his relations he was also
Part 1
Presently, colonial Singapore is one of Asia’s leading port cities. Her rise from a little known piece of land to what she is currently is by no means achieved easily, and much deliberation and effort were required. Thomas Stanford Raffles, William Farquhar and John Crawfurd each had their contributions to the building of Singapore. Undeniably the influx of trades from within the region helped Singapore to progress into highly popular port, but what enabled this were the combined efforts of the mentioned 3 important figures.
It began on 1819, when Raffles “made a claim for the British East India Company on the Island of Singapore”. Though the idea wasn’t entirely supported, Raffles was the person that initiated the first step in evolving Singapore into a port that will be successful in the then future.1 After signing the treaty with Sultan Hussein and Temenggong Abdul Rahman, Raffles drew up the Raffles Town Plan in 1822 which spurred the development of Singapore not only as a port, but as attractive regional hub. It was also Raffles who introduced the idea of a free trade policy in Singapore. “Raffles had determined that the port of Singapore would be a free port and this more liberal trade policy helped ensure that Singapore stood out from rival trading ports in the region in what became an era of burgeoning global commerce”. Coupled with her convenient location and the increase in mass of trade regionally, Singapore attracted traders in the region and these gave Singapore an opportunity to rise as a global entrepot.2
Though Raffles didn’t spend much time physically at Singapore, he has had much contribution to the successful port-city. In his absence, he appointed Farquhar to continue his plans for the developing Singapore.
Before he became the first Resident of Singapore, Farquhar was based in Malacca, and had experience dealing with the Malay leaders. With his relations he was also
Bibliography: Bastin, John. “Raffles’ Historical Sketch of Singapore in Framing Singapore’s History”. In Studying Singapore’s Past, edited by Nicholas Tarling. Singapore: NUS Press, 2010. 51-66. http://muse.jhu.edu.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/books/9789971696917/, Project Muse. Ernest Chew, “Pioneers of Early Colonial Singapore 1819-1850”, Raffles Town Club Magazine, vol. 6 (Jan-Mar 2002), http://www.rafflestownclub.com.sg/pdf/history.pdf Kevin Y L Tan, Lim Chen Sian, “Raffles’ Letters: Intrigues Behind the Founding of Singapore”, accessed 18 Oct 2014, http://www.academia.edu/6116609/Raffles_Letters_Intrigues_Behind_the_Founding_of_Singapore/