Chapter 2: Preliminary Research into Malacca & Singapore

There were a million questions bouncing around my Author’s brain after returning home from visiting me, Southeast Asia, after his family vacations. The Universe’s plan was beginning to play itself out. The Dharma wheel was turning. Although he wasn’t really aware of the full extent of his task, our fateful engagement had begun. He had become very curious about my children.

Why conquer Malacca?

Author: “Hmmm? The quiet tourist town feel of Melaka certainly belies its past history as the busiest port in the world. How did this sleepy little town become an international port visited by traders, businessmen and sailors of all nationalities? And what happened to transform it back to its present condition? And what about this Sultanate? And I wonder what happened to this part of the world between the construction of the temples of Angkor Wat and Borobudur through to the present day. I must do some research when I get home.”

These were a few of the questions bouncing around my Author’s mind as he left Malacca. After returning home he began research into Malacca’s history. His initial stabs stressed the European side of Malacca’s past. Nothing was mentioned of any Sultanate. He discovered that the Portuguese conquered Malacca in 1511. The Dutch conquered Malacca from the Portuguese in 1642. And the British took over Malacca from the Dutch in 1795. Then in 1958 Malaysia, with Malacca as one of its cities, achieved independence from Britain.

This raised another question that begged to be answered.

Author: “Why did each of these countries want to conquer little Malacca?”

Upon a cursory examination my Author came to the conclusion that these European powers wanted to control Malacca because she was an international port, a global entrepôt. He had just come back from visiting my most recent entrepôt, Singapore, and seen how wealthy she became due to being a shipping center of international trade. He had seen her love affair with banks and corporations at the expense of local culture. He had seen her obsession with money and the modern. He discovered that before Singapore was Malacca. While Singapore has been mainly about money, he found that Malacca played a much more dynamic role.

Of course this raised other questions.

Author: “How did Malacca become an international trading center and why was she supplanted by Singapore? Let’s do a little research into Singapore. Maybe that will answer some of my questions.”

Singapore’s History

“Hmmm? I wonder what happened to Singapore to throw it so out of balance and turn it into a business capitol of Southeast Asia.”

Southeast Asia: “The Universe works in strange ways. By showing my Author the worst side of Singapore, he inspired him to explore my current business capitol, my prime entrepôt. I’ll let Singapore tell his own story.”

“Let’s see … Singapore was founded in the 13th century by a Sumatran prince. He named me Singa Pur (Sanskrit for "city of the lion"). Evidently he mistook a tiger for a lion, because lions have never existed there. Hence the Merlion.”

Author: “The sign of things to come. A city full of wannabe lions with no real substance of their own. A shadow world that takes itself to be real.”

Singapore: “To indicate my early importance Marco Polo even visited me on his way home from China in the late 1200s. In the 14th century I was sacked by the Javanese, at which time port trade shifted to Malacca a hundred miles away on the Western side of the peninsula.”

Author: “We visited Melaka. So that’s how it became an important city.”

Malacca: “Actually there is much more to my tale. But let Singapore finish his story before jumping to any premature conclusions about me.”

Singapore: “My modern history began in January of 1819 when Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, visited. With a vision of my strategic potential he convinced Great Britain to purchase my territory, which they did in 1824. To stimulate my development Raffles turned me into a free port - no tariffs or duties. To indicate his commitment to my city he was also know as Raffles of Singapore. I quickly became a major British trading port in Southeast Asia.

Along with Malacca, George Town and Sabah I became a British crown colony called the Straits Settlement in 1867. Excluding Sabah we are all port cities located on the Straits of Malacca, a major trading route between the Malay peninsula and Sumatra. This has been the connection by sea between the East and West. These straits connected the cultures of Southeast Asia, China and Japan in the East with the cultures of India, Ceylon, Arabia, Northern Africa, and Europe in the West. The last port city of the group, Sabah, is located on the tip of Borneo in the China Sea. The British East India Trading Company administered these properties. The Straits Settlement were the points from which Britain transmitted her culture to Southeast Asia.”

Author: “Ah. I understand now. That power and money hungry company infected this area with Western culture. Eventually international business dominated by Americans merged with and took over the strictly British run company which led to the your corruption.”

Singapore: “You’re right. America is now my largest trading partner - with 40% of my business. However let’s not be too judgmental. With the increased prosperity due to the British influence in my city Chinese, Indian and Malays began immigrating in large numbers. The Chinese quickly outnumbered the rest. Despite the fact that the British were a minority they continued to run Singapore as a colony for the next 100 years. The Japanese occupied all of Southeast Asia including me during World War II. After the end of the war I was returned to the British. Then in 1959 - due to widespread revolt among her colonies, including Malaysia, right next door - Britain finally granted her colonies self rule. In 1963, I became a semiautonomous state within the Federation of Malaysia. Then in 1965 I was asked to leave the federation to become an independent republic.”

Lee Kuan Yew - founding father of modern Singapore

Author: “Why were you asked to leave?”

Singapore: “To even hint at the reason I must speak about Lee Kuan Yew - the undisputed founding father of my modern nation. He was prime minister from my inception in 1959 to 1990 - 31 years. Further his political party, the People's Action Party (PAP), which he led, has completely dominated my politics since my birth.

Educated at Cambridge in England, Lee Kuan Yew was exposed to the British Labor Party. This introduced him to the ideas of worker rights, the liberation of women, and self-determination. He returned to Singapore to work for these ideals. His efforts were cut short by World War II when the Japanese conquered Singapore. He was a witness to their atrocities against the Chinese - almost akin to genocide. Looking for the positive, the Japanese occupation, while brief, exposed the vulnerability of the British.

After the war my people, with Lee Kuan Yew as their leader, began demanding independence. The left leaning members of Lee’s party, including some Communists, broke off presumably because Lee didn’t go far enough in terms of workers’ rights. This led to permanent animosity between his party and theirs.

He and his pro-business party, the PAP, won the first elections in 1959. After his party assumed control he began censoring dissenting newspapers and suppressing political opposition. A law was even passed giving the government the right to imprison anyone suspected of sedition. In defense of my father Communism was being actively propagated from China. Further their extreme social experiments, i.e. eliminating families and religion, the purging of professionals, and the elimination of dissent, were well known and feared.

Because I, his country, was so small, in 1963 he joined the Malaysian league for protection. However he entered his party in Malaysian politics in 1965. The Malays began rioting.”

Author: “Why?”

Singapore: “Possibly the Malays feared Lee Kuan Yew as a popular demagogue - or maybe they were afraid that his primarily Chinese state would align with populist interests of Communist China or the business interests of Nationalist China, Taiwan - or perhaps they were nervous that the Chinese from Singapore would form an unhealthy alliance with the Chinese business leaders of Malaysia itself. Whatever the specifics the Malays were afraid of the powerful Chinese business community. The result was that Singapore was asked to leave the Federation. Lee Kuan Yew tearfully withdrew.

Still anxious because of Singapore’s tiny size, Lee Kuan Yew then turned to the international business community for protection.”

Lee: “Give Singapore relative political autonomy and I’ll give you a secure place to do business. Using the dictatorial powers that you grant me, I will eliminate corruption and turn Singapore into the safest city-state in the world. Unfortunately to do this I must sanitize the nation. No more prostitution, no more drugs, no more obvious black market, no more drinking, no more spitting, and while we’re at it no more chewing gum. I’ve always hated that habit.”

Singapore: “On the positive side he was committed to increasing women’s rights, ethnic harmony, universal education and economic modernization. On the negative side this meant restricting personal freedoms, including political dissent. He ruled autocratically - pathologically suppressing any opposition to his policies. In attempting to clean up Singapore’s slums he also eliminated some traditional neighborhoods, because they didn’t pass the test of modernity. They weren’t pretty enough for the businesses he was trying to attract.

However his pro-business strategy has led to an eco-disaster for my island. The construction of modern highways with skyscrapers has denuded the island of its tropical forests. Today only 5% of my land area is covered with trees and the traditional mangroves.

His strategy of pursuing stability at all costs was undeniably successful in attracting international business. I, although just a tiny country, have survived and thrived. I, along with Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea, are known as Asia's four ‘Little Tigers’.”

Author: “Note that Taiwan and South Korea are also dictatorships with Western connections. Suppress freedom and liberty in the name of business.”

Singapore: “You are very harsh in your judgments. Did Lee Kuan Yew really have any choice? Could he have pursued a balance of culture and business? Who knows? Under the political climate of the time, he may have done the only thing possible to retain political autonomy over me, his tiny country.”

Author: “But it’s easy to see that your Singaporians, who supposedly ‘enjoy one of the highest standards of living in Asia’, have had to pay some heavy costs - including the destruction of traditional culture, eco-destruction, and the limitation of personal liberties.”

Singapore: “Was there any other way?”

Author: “No one will every know.”