Monday, February 11, 2008
LT: Lecture Treats
From An Introductory History to Southeast Asia, by A/P Timothy P. Barnard
The seemingly unassuming North Bridge Road in Singapore has a bit of history behind it.
And it’s a pretty ugly one about colonialism.
A little background to the story: as we know in 1819 Raffles signed a treaty with Hussein, the Sultan of Johore which gave the British the permission to establish a trading post on the island of Singapore, which was part of the Johore-Riau Sultanate. Now, they weren’t given the entire island; only the southern portion where our Civil District and CBD now lies.
Raffles didn’t stay long in Singapore after signing that treaty. He and his entourage left Singapore, leaving William Farquhar behind to take care of things.
Farquhar was chummy with the Malays. He hung out often with the Sultan and the Temenggong. He gave newcomers to Singapore much flexibility, for instance, liberty to decide where they’d like to settle down and construct their buildings.
When Raffles returned five years later, he was flabbergasted at the transformation – and he was pissed with Farquhar. Farquhar was sacked and placed with John Crawfurd (recognise Crawfurd Bridge in Lavender?). Crawfurd was the antithesis of Farquhar: scientific, rational, organised – a man imbued with the principles of the Enlightenment.
Crawfurd negotiated the 1824 Treaty, which effectively signed away the rights of the Johore-Riau Sultanate to rule the island.
We also know that various ethnic groups were segregated into varying communities: the Westerners in European Town; the Chinese in Chinatown; the Indians in Kampong Chulia and the Malays in Kampong Glam. Kampong Glam was located in the area roughly from the present-day Concourse building on Beach Road, up to the Sultan Mosque.
Here the (lengthy… I apologise) background ends. North Bridge Road (the same one that we know of today) stretches east to west, a mode of communication into the main commercial area (i.e. present-day CBD). Crawfurd wanted to extend the road eastwards. This meant the road would slice right through the heart of Kampong Glam!
Sultan Hussein protested. Kampong Glam was his base of power, surely the British should consult him about this? It would be an insult for a colonial-constructed road to impede into his territory without his approval.
Crawfurd simply went ahead with the extension of the road. To put it in my lecturer’s words, it was a ‘screw you’ from Crawfurd.
What is the significance of North Bridge Road? It represents the might of colonial power, which can ignore and override the authorities and cultures of indigenous, traditional rulers.
¶ 2/11/2008 12:48:00 pm From An Introductory History to Southeast Asia, by A/P Timothy P. Barnard
The seemingly unassuming North Bridge Road in Singapore has a bit of history behind it.
And it’s a pretty ugly one about colonialism.
A little background to the story: as we know in 1819 Raffles signed a treaty with Hussein, the Sultan of Johore which gave the British the permission to establish a trading post on the island of Singapore, which was part of the Johore-Riau Sultanate. Now, they weren’t given the entire island; only the southern portion where our Civil District and CBD now lies.
Raffles didn’t stay long in Singapore after signing that treaty. He and his entourage left Singapore, leaving William Farquhar behind to take care of things.
Farquhar was chummy with the Malays. He hung out often with the Sultan and the Temenggong. He gave newcomers to Singapore much flexibility, for instance, liberty to decide where they’d like to settle down and construct their buildings.
When Raffles returned five years later, he was flabbergasted at the transformation – and he was pissed with Farquhar. Farquhar was sacked and placed with John Crawfurd (recognise Crawfurd Bridge in Lavender?). Crawfurd was the antithesis of Farquhar: scientific, rational, organised – a man imbued with the principles of the Enlightenment.
Crawfurd negotiated the 1824 Treaty, which effectively signed away the rights of the Johore-Riau Sultanate to rule the island.
We also know that various ethnic groups were segregated into varying communities: the Westerners in European Town; the Chinese in Chinatown; the Indians in Kampong Chulia and the Malays in Kampong Glam. Kampong Glam was located in the area roughly from the present-day Concourse building on Beach Road, up to the Sultan Mosque.
Here the (lengthy… I apologise) background ends. North Bridge Road (the same one that we know of today) stretches east to west, a mode of communication into the main commercial area (i.e. present-day CBD). Crawfurd wanted to extend the road eastwards. This meant the road would slice right through the heart of Kampong Glam!
Sultan Hussein protested. Kampong Glam was his base of power, surely the British should consult him about this? It would be an insult for a colonial-constructed road to impede into his territory without his approval.
Crawfurd simply went ahead with the extension of the road. To put it in my lecturer’s words, it was a ‘screw you’ from Crawfurd.
What is the significance of North Bridge Road? It represents the might of colonial power, which can ignore and override the authorities and cultures of indigenous, traditional rulers.
