Singapore currently sits in a commercially important position in Asia. It stands as a “tiger” and global trading hub boasting a large port and bustling financial markets. It has emerged unexpectedly as a small city state with a positive outlook for the future, however, as promising as this is our focus is the past.
If you’ve been following our previous posts, you can probably now guess some of the key elements of its history. If you guessed European colonization and harsh Japanese occupation, you are correct. Though it does also have an interesting story to tell about its relationship to Malaysia during its formation. We will now briefly delve into the story of Singapore.
Early History
Seafaring beginnings
According to Visit Singapore the name “Singapore” derives from the Sanskrit “simha” and “pura” meaning lion and city respectively. Its close proximity to the long-established kingdoms of Indonesia made it easy access for the significant settlements in Srivijaya (more on this when we one day get to set foot on Indonesia) which held it for most of its early history. Prior to European arrival the entire region was influenced by early Indian and Chinese ways of living that grew with the expansion of trade and missionary ambitions in the area. The Arabs spread their roots and Western Europe soon followed with the Portuguese, Spanish, and Dutch occupying the region.
The British, the world’s great colonizing superpower were late to the Southeast Asian party but held significant territory elsewhere in Burma (modern Myanmar), India, and the new world (modern US and Canada). It was only a matter of time before their interests turned to Southeast Asia with long established European ambition for efficient trade routes to and from China.
Singapore itself had already established itself as a modest kingdom at the tip of the Malay Peninsula in the 14th century and were later engaged as a trading post with the Chinese, Arabs, and Portuguese. Geographically, they were perfectly situated as an intersection point. The Dutch snagged an important center in Malacca, not far to the north, and the British soon swept in from India establishing themselves in Georgetown (Penang) in the late 18th century. More will be said of this when we get to Malaysia’s history, but it is important to understand here for Singapore.
Straits Settlement
The Settlement established itself with half of its population being Chinese. Some estimates have the population at about 1,000 before Raffles arrived. Once the British were established workers flocked to the area in order to be part of the development (many being Malays from Malacca and Chinese but also Indonesian).Once the British set themselves up in the northern part of modern Malaysia it didn’t take long for them to seek continued expansion. They instituted a British trading post at Singapore in 1819 under Stamford Raffles controlling the entire island. Five years later they would set an agreement with the Dutch in 1824 to gain full control of the peninsula and the Malacca strait with the acquisition of Malacca. This led to the establishment of the British “Straits Settlements” in 1826 that had set modern Malaysia and Singapore under the control of the British East India Company.
The Settlement established itself with half of its population being Chinese. Some estimates have the population at about 1,000 before Raffles arrived. Once the British were established workers flocked to the area in order to be part of the development (many being Malays from Malacca and Chinese but also Indonesian).
Land reclamation and the industry for rubber and tin became a focal point of the region in addition to the trade with China. Britain, however, would get closer to China with the development of their port at Hong Kong in 1842 which reduced the importance of Singapore.
Modern History
The region would remain British into the 20th century, unaffected by the first world war. World war two would be a different story.
Japanese Occupation During World War Two
The Japanese began in the north and swept south rapidly controlling the area and renaming it “Syonan-to” – Light of the South Island. All of Malaya and Singapore were captured in approximately two months. Winston Churchill dubbed the fall of Singapore:
“the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history”
Britain was unprepared despite prior knowledge of German and Imperial Japanese communication on the topic of an attack on British possessions in the Far East. Attacking by land from the north they hit Singapore at its most vulnerable position and bombed the island by air on the same day they moved on Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Pearl Harbor.
The swift Japanese victory resulted in the imprisonment of 16,000 British, 14,000 Australian, and 32,000 Indian. Churchill was forced to publicly broadcast the tragic defeat that:
“Singapore has fallen”
It is said Churchill was stupefied by the events and could not get over it. It remained in his memory.
The Japanese military police, “Kempeitai” occupied Singapore and purged the island of all those deemed to be hostile to Japan. This system, known as, Sook Ching, claimed the lives of 25,000-50,000 Chinese people in Singapore and Malaya. They utilized informants, forced all to bow to them, and set up Japanese schools imposing their language and culture to retract western influence. Children would be forced to sing the Japanese anthem and television and radio became Japanese. The occupation lasting from 1942-1945 was brutal and resulted in great scarcity for those still residing in Singapore. It ended abruptly with the US detonation of the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Aftermath of the War
Singapore was returned to British colonial rule, but they instantly began an initiative to provide the colonies with their independence. Initially, they had not considered Singapore as part of the Federation of Malaya, due to their predominately Chinese population.
Inclusion and Exclusion of Malaysia
They would eventually join the Federation of Malaysia on its formation in 1963 becoming one of its states under the first Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. Recognizing their differences, both ethnically and politically, they did allow for some autonomy to Singapore which was led by their first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
Instantly there were differences of opinion on how the government should be initiated and run. They faced confrontation with Indonesia and were faced with having to develop the states of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo.
As the disagreements continued Tunku Abdul Rahman understood what needed to be done to alleviate the growing tension and resentment. In 1965, just two years after the countries formation he decided that a separation from Singapore was best for both parties. Him and Lee signed the document declaring Singapore an independence state of August 9, 1965. Lee would then go on to lead Singapore for 30 years until 1990 dying at the age of 91 in 2015. His eldest son Lee Hsien Loong currently serves as Singapore’s third Prime Minister.
One cannot know with any certainty what may have happened in Malaysia if a peaceful separation was not able to be determined. Rarely do these disputes get resolved in such a way, but peaceful relations with a neighbor is an important element of prosperity. However, it does make me question, the strength that Malaysia could have had if Brunei agreed to join the federation and Singapore remained. They have both seemed to prosper in the current Asian economic environment with the establishment of free trade agreements. Singapore still being an infant nation with just over 50 years of independence continues to reform and improve itself. Only time will tell what the future will bring, but walking its streets and admiring its architecture, infrastructure, and cleaniness it isn't hard to be optimistic.
Sources
National Museum of Malaysia
A History of Southeast Asia - Arthur Cotterell - Marshall Cavendish International (Asia)
Visit Singapore
The Malays
Singapore General History
Winston Churchill on Singapore
The formation of Malaysia and Singapore http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/dc1efe7a-8159-40b2-9244-cdb078755013