Raffles who? 200 years since the British colonialist, Singapore would rather he disappear

In an effort to ‘decolonise’ its past, the Lion City is putting a twist on its bicentennial ‘commemoration’ of the landing of Sir Stamford Raffles

It’s spending a year celebrating neither date, nor man. It’s almost like the British colonialist disappeared. Oh wait, he just did

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An art installation, The Most Mild-Mannered Man, comprising of a bust of Sir Stamford Raffles placed across from an empty pedestal bearing the name of Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor, who signed the treaty allowing the British to set up a trading post in Singapore. Photo: Clara Chow

Published: 5:03pm, 27 Jan 2019Updated: 8:00pm, 5 Jul 2022

For half a century since 1969, a white polymarble statue of Sir Stamford Raffles stood by the Singapore River, purportedly at the exact spot where the British colonial official first landed when he reached the Lion City.

This month, it “disappeared”. In a city state where vandalism can be punished by caning, a state-sanctioned artwork was commissioned to create an optical illusion that the statue was no longer there. The aim was to make Singaporeans think harder about Raffles. “Is our story just about one date or one man?,” asked a government spokesman.

In a year when Singapore launches a bicentennial commemoration of Raffles’ landing, the government has curiously decided to celebrate neither date nor man.

Raffles Singapore: a famous hotel named after you know who. Photo: Handout

Instead of playing up 200 years and the supposed founder of modern Singapore, the official narrative says the country’s history spans 700 years and Raffles was just one of several personalities from 1819.

The incongruence, say analysts, carries political undertones. After 50 years of a simplistic national history where an Englishman “discovered” a sleepy Malay fishing village, the Singapore government is reworking the past to better suit present norms and future objectives.

The aim is to pay greater tribute to the Malay community in Singapore, better recognise the country’s place in Southeast Asia and forestall any criticisms that the country is celebrating colonialism.

NOT A FISHING VILLAGE

It did not start off that way. When talk of the bicentennial started making the rounds in 2017, the chatter was that the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) was looking to recreate the winning formula of the last major anniversary.

Raffles who? 200 years since the British colonialist, Singapore would rather he disappear

In an effort to ‘decolonise’ its past, the Lion City is putting a twist on its bicentennial ‘commemoration’ of the landing of Sir Stamford Raffles It’s spending a year celebrating neither date, nor man. It’s almost like the British colonialist disappeared. Oh wait, he just did

In an effort to ‘decolonise’ its past, the Lion City is putting a twist on its bicentennial ‘commemoration’ of the landing of Sir Stamford Raffles

It’s spending a year celebrating neither date, nor man. It’s almost like the British colonialist disappeared. Oh wait, he just did