Raffles Singapore Analysis

It was Raffles that selected Singapore as the best location for British to establish its foothold in a part of the Malay world to rival its competitor, Dutch. At one time, Singapore was a strategic location before 1660s but it lost its strategic significance because the Dutch captured Melaka so the strategic significance shifted. Without Raffles, Singapore will remain a sleepy fishing village because its infrastructure is not as good as others and its safety of shipping cannot be guaranteed. Raffles signed the treaty of 6 February 1819 with the Sultan Hussein, which gave British a chance to have its own foothold in this new island. On his second and third visit in June 1819 and October 1822, Raffles signed further agreements with Sultan Husain and the Temenggong that attempted to regularize the administration of the settlement whose ultimate purpose was to limit their influence and better controlled by the British. However, some claims that British power was the leading force which led to the success of Singapore in the early colonial period. However, British did not provide any support to Raffles. On the contrary, the British Foreign Office even dispatched instructions to Calcutta forbidding Raffles to set off on his mission to the Straits of Melaka. Honestly speaking, the British did influence the situation in this area because its strong power

They constructed embankment to provide a permanent dry and salubrious environment for the land behind. This accomplish of levelling the hill and embanking the river required much time but provideed a very conservative approximation of the space and needs of the port. When John Crawford arrived in Singapore in 1823, merchants suggested him to continue this important river work. Therefore, many quays and godowns (warehouses) had been constructed. However, there are a lot claims that Chinese, Indian and Malay laborers who contribute most to the success of Singapore in the early colonial period because it is them that constructed Singapore bricks by bricks. However, these laborers would not construct such a time-consuming embankment by themselves. It is the leader who raise the measurement that contributed the most. During this period, the Raffles’ team acted as a supervisor and

Personally, I regard the success of early colonial Singapore as a group work. On the one hand, it should be planned first, then be executed by laborers and finally accomplished by the continual trade from different areas around the world. On the other hand, these execution need a peaceful environment so the power of influence of the British should not be underestimated. In this reflection, I will put my emphasis on the other lobby groups rather than the Raffles’