Fast Facts:
- Named for: Siṃhapura, Sanskrit for “lion city”
- Capital: It’s a “city-state,” i.e., Singapore is its own capital.
- Long/Lat: 1.17 N/103.5 E, 17 hours and 8500 miles west of Castro Valley.
- Population: 6.1 million or 100 Castro Valleys. Third most densely populated region in the world, after Macau and Monaco.
- Size: 287 sq mi or 16 Castro Valleys
- Avg temp in April: 90 F/30 C, close to the equator
- Median income: $150,000, close to Castro Valley
- Ethnicity: 74% Chinese, 14% Malay, 9% Industries
- Main industries: Trade. Trade. Trade. Their economy is “free, innovative, dynamic, and business-friend.” Surprisingly, not especially corrupt.
One of the key architects of what Singapore has become was Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles. I know, the name sounds made up. That, too, is a metaphor for Singapore, a place of such contrast that it’s hard to believe.
Singapore is tiny, but huge in population. The 3rd most densely populated in the world, the 176th smallest land base for a country. It’s both island and city, near the sweltering jungles at the equator, but a futuristic high-tech sparkling megalopolis. It’s surrounded by Malaysia, also islands and cities, both rural and urban simultaneously. Singapore means “Lion City” though apparently there’s never been a lion, other than in a zoo. Its symbol is the Merlion, half-fish and half-lion. Perhaps Singapore’s success has been in taking on multiple identities.
Encyclopedias on Singapore begin its history with the 14th century, though surely there were people before that. The Malay people who predated the Kingdom of Singapore called it Pulau Ujong, meaning “island at the end of the peninsula.” But that’s a geographic description and not great for creating the image of a city-state. It was called Temasek, a trading port, a mix of Malay, Indian, South Asian, and Chinese people. Lion City seems a more intriguing name even if there never were lions. A Palembang prince in the 14th century reportedly spotted what he believed was a lion but it was really a tiger. Yet, he gets credit for suggesting its name, Siṃhapura.
The island of Singapore had its own history of kings and battles, of colonization by Europeans and of religious conversion by Muslim traders. The people on the island were often besieged by people of the much larger Malay peninsula, whose left side stretches down like the tip of quill pen to dip itself in the dot of the South China Sea. But once the European traders arrived with boats and cannons, they were also hard to fend off. Much easier to trade, and Singapore has always been good at trade.
In the 16th century, the general area was called Johor, after the Johor Sultanate established in 1528. This Islam-infused region was at war with the Portuguese, who sailed in with their high-tech explorer ships. In 1613, for instance, the settlement of Singapore was burned down by Portuguese raiders. The Dutch followed the Portuguese and dominated the area (Dutch East Indies), sometimes hand-picking a local ruler or at least cooperating with a Malay or Sulawesian (South Pacific) dynasty.
In 1819 the leader, Tengku Abdul Ruman was the Sultan of Johor, although controlled by the Dutch. The Temenggong, one of the Tengku’s administrators, favored Abdul Raman’s elder brother. Enter Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (my spouse says that sounds like what someone would name a kitten). Raffles offered Temenggong and the exiled brother Tengku Long money to overturn the Sultan. After Tengku Long was established on the new Sultan’s throne, a Treaty of Singapore was signed that gave Britain favorable trading rights. A second treaty, signed just five years later, turned Singapore into a British colony. Raffles became governor of the general area, the Dutch East Indies, soon to be known as the British East Indies.
The British constructed pepper, rubber, and gambier plantations, bringing in thousands of migrant laborers from China, likely not slaves but effectively indentured servants. However, the population of the tiny island began to swell. The British also built a naval base, which acted as an effective deterrent until World War II. At that point, the Japanese defeated the British at the Battle of Singapore, which Churchill lamented as the “largest capitulation in British history.” Later, when the Japanese lost the war, violence was unleashed against the fleeing occupiers and anyone suspected of collaboration.
Post-war there were tidal forces that turned Singapore into a British Crown Colony, briefly concern over communism, and a series of riots until a British governor was eventually replaced by a Malay national, and a vote established that brought in Lee Kuan Yew.
Kew’s 31-year tenure as minister is curious. He was authoritarian, creating a single party system that continually put him charge. He shut down dissent; there was no free speech or opposite parties. They call it an “illiberal democracy,” when there is voting but only one candidate to vote for. Yet he supported economic improvement, non-discrimination policies, and social improvements. At one point during his administration, Singapore became part of Malaysia, but, as he deemed it disadvantageous, he returned Singapore to an independent state, and they have flourished ever since.
Singapore leaped into the 21st century ahead of many other regions, partly because of Kew’s balanced leadership both supportive of strong trade and commercial interests, and pro-environmental and anti-corruption. The CIA tried to overthrew him as part of their campaign to influence the South Pacific. They failed. Kew also once said air conditioning was one of the most important inventions to benefit the country, and being so close to the equator, you can imagine why he was probably right.
Both anti-corrupt and illiberal, promoting a free market but a so-called nanny state, i.e. giving away too many benefits and telling citizens how to behave: Singapore continues to refuse clean definition. A Merlion, most definitely; a Lion City without any visible lions.