SSA2220T Global Economic Dimensions Of Singapore 2010/2011 Special Term 1

Essay assignment

Prepared For: Dr. Lee Soo Ann

Prepared By: Xiao Lirong (A0076663) 10 June 2011

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In what way was Singapore strategically significant? How did this affect the decision of Raffles to establish a settlement there in the maritime rivalry between the British and the Dutch?

Early European exploration of South East Asia Before Singapore was ever founded by Sir Stamford Raffles, its all started off from a maritime rivalry between European powers at that time in South-East Asia. The presence of Europeans in the Southeast Asia can largely be traced back to the voyages discovery by Spain and Portuguese for spice trading in 16th century, where both countries were highly interested and demanding for spices so as to preserve meat over winters period. It was the lure of trade that brought Europeans to Southeast Asia while missionaries were also tagged along the ships as they hoped to spread Christianity into the region.The Spanish travelled west of the South America to enter Pacific Ocean while the Portuguese travelled east, that went around the Cape of Good Hope to enter the Indian oceans. Spices such as pepper, ginger from India, cinnamon from Ceylon, nugmets and cloves from Indonesia were at that time most sacred and precious to both Spain and Portuguese. In a competition in securing and breaking the monopoly of the Italians over the spice trade, both countries started a series of ports which were fortified, from which their ship could go out to control trade, so as to have a monopoly, eventually to dominate the market at that time. The desired to compete and dominate spices trade, often led to war fight. Rise of Dutch and British The voyages of discovery made by Portuguese and Spanish found new ways to reach India and the spice islands through the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The cities around the Mediterranean

lost some of their importance, while the countries which faced the Atlantic benefited from new conditions of trade. Succeeding both Portugal and Spain as major maritime countries were the Dutch (Holland) and the British (England). The Dutch and the British learnt from the maps drawn by the Portuguese and even developed bigger and better ships which could sail for longer miles. They also take advantages of Chinas invention such as gunpowder to fire canon and compass to navigate, which further edge out their ships at that time. The Dutch took over Malacca from the Portuguese in 1641 while Spain began to colonize the Philippines (named after Phillip II of Spain) from 1560s. Acting through the Dutch East India Company (Dutch EIC), the Dutch established the city of Batavia (now Jakarta) as a base for trading and expansion into the other parts of Java and the surrounding territory.

The British, in the form of the British East India Company (English EIC), came relatively late onto the scene. Starting with Penang, the British began to expand their Southeast Asian empire. Both companies not only had a monopoly of trade given to them by their governments with the East but were also empowered by their governments to make war or treaties, seize foreign ships, build forts, establish colonies and coin money, all under loose supervision from home.

Rivalry of British and Dutch in South East Asia

In 1795, the French revolutionary army, led by Napoleon invaded Holland and turned the nation into a satellite of France, named the Batavian Republic. During that unstable period, Dutch colonies in South East Asia were taken over by the British in order to prevent them from falling into French hands.

Subsequently, British also occupied the island of Java and Malacca. The entire colony fell under British control in 1811. This was where Stamford Raffles was elected from a clerk in the EIC to become the governor of Java for a short period of time.

After Napoleon's defeat in 1815, the Dutch were reunited with the Southern Netherlands in a constitutional monarchy, an independent Netherlands (Holland). To ensure amicable and viable Holland, Britain agreed to return all the colonies back to the Dutch and the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 had been signed with both countries. Consequently, Java and Malacca were returned back to the Dutch too, resulted in Raffles losing his post in Java. He was then call upon to govern Bencoolen on the west coast of Sumatra, which was a much smaller place.

The return of power, once again put Dutch in favor of controlling Malacca. Whoever controlled Malacca controlled the Straits of Malacca through which much of the trade between South East Asia and west went through. Though Malacca had returned back to the Dutch, British was still harboring thoughts of regaining the Straits of Malacca as it was at that time revived with the opening up of the China trade.

Although British had already acquired Penang as a naval station from the Raja of Kedah for its ships to take shelter on the eastern side of the Bay of Bengal in 1786, it was considered too far north to neutralize the Dutch in Malacca and Bencoolen was also wrongly situated.

China was at that time under the Qing dynasty, which was led by the Manchurians from the northeast. The Manchurians being not seafaring was one of the major reason of not re-establish and expand their naval supremacy. This kept China from exploring beyond their world and failed to renew in the face of industrial revolution which Britain had begun.

At the boom of Britain, British traders wanted to seize the opportunity to enter China to open it up to trade such as opium for teas leaves, silk and porcelain etc. However, the Chinese emperor did not allow trading through overland route between India and China, which meant that the British had to travel down the Straits of Malacca in order to enter the South China sea from which they could approach China by sea to commence trading.

However, judging from the speed that the Dutch started to resume back their territories and the manner of their activities seemed to justify that the Dutch desired and ambitions of redominating back the southern end of the straits of Malacca as well as the Sunda Straits. This could means that they could once again monopolies and profit through controlling the straits.

From an economic and strategic perspective, the Strait of Malacca is considered one of the most important sailing routes at all times. It connects Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean that links and provides access for West Europe countries to China and India. Whoever controlled Malacca controlled the straits of Malacca through which much of the trade between South-East Asia and the west went through.

The great importance of it saw Lord Hastings, who was then the Governor-General of India, tried to revive the old scheme of securing the free passage of the Straits of Malacca, while leaving implicitly to the Dutch the command of the Sunda Straits.

Though in Bencoolen, Stamford Raffles won the trust and support from Lord Hasting to revive this scheme and was instructed to conclude a treaty with Acheh as well as to quickly secure a port beyond Malacca, such as may command the southern entrance of those straits.

Stamford Raffles was then tasked to look for and secure a strategic port which could escape the clutch of the Dutch even before the Dutch could found it, in order to stay out from their monopolies of trade and safeguard their own ships. Riau was pretty much a priority choice for Raffles, but alternatively, he could try sourcing for another site within the Johore empire, which is the most southern part of Malaya.

Although Raffles succeeded in concluding a treaty at Acheh, he was forestalled by the Dutch in Riau.

Acquisition of Singapore as an EIC trading post Eventually, Raffles s efforts paid off when he founded Singapore in 28 January 1819, after found out that Kerimun Islands, at the southern end of the Straits and Siak, on the east coast of Sumatra is not suitable to settle.

The decision for Raffles to establish a settlement in Singapore as an EIC trading post is mainly due to her strategic location and nature condition. Singapore was located centralised in the heart of the Malay Archipelago, along the main trading route between India and China. This acquisition allows the British to bypass the Dutch monopolies territory and able to trade directly with China and middle-east countries.

Moreover, Singapore geographical position is surrounded by wall of deep sea water which makes her suitable for building a harbour port. Trading-ships were easy to travel from British and from China via Singapore as a central trade port. This generally shortens the distance to travel for British man to trade as they did not required to travel all way up to China, but to trade in Singapore.

Driven by the northeast monsoon winds and arriving in January, February, and March, and southwest monsoons in May, the ships were able to bring cargoes of dried and salted foods, medicines, silk, tea, porcelain, and pottery from China and middle-east and left with British goods. The second season of monsoon winds began in September or October where the cycle repeats again. Due to the periodic-changing direction of wind, trades were able to carry out fruitfully.

On top of it, plentiful supply of fresh water could also be found in Singapore too. This major discovery of natural resources, further affirms Stamford raffles to establish Singapore as his choice of settlement to trade and live in.

Conclusion

How the choice of Stamford Raffles came to fall upon Singapore is sometimes said to be "more the outcome of circumstance than of design".

If ever without the return of Malacca and various strategic colonies in South East Asia back to the Dutch after the 1789 Napoleonic War, and without the monopolization of Straits of Malacca by the Dutch during the beginning of 19th century, and without the failure to acquire Riau before forestalled by the Dutch, and ultimately without the strong desire to trade freely with China, India and middle-east by the British after the industrial revolution in England, the very likelihood of Singapore discovery to be turn into a trading port, might never ever exist.

Follow me from Calcutta, within the Nicobar and Andaman Islands, to Prince of Wales Island, then accompany me down the Straits of Malacca, past the town of Malacca, and round the southwestern point of Peninsular. You will then enter what are called the Straits of Singapore, and in Marsdens map of Sumatra you will observe an island to the south of these straits called Singapura; this is the spot, the site of ancient maritime capital of the Malays, and within the walls of these fortification, raised not less than six centuries ago, on which I have planted the British flag, where, I trust, it will long triumphantly wave.

Sir Stamford Raffles to the Duchess of Somerset, 22 February 1819

References

1. Lee Soo Ann, (2007). Singapore: from place to nation. Chapter 1: Maritime Rivalry in South-East Asia. Pg 3-13. 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Southeast_Asia. Retrieved on 10 June 2011 3. http://www.slideshare.net/theracie/who-is-the-founder-of-singapore. Retrieved on 10 June 2011 4. http://library.thinkquest.org/12405/founding.htm. Retrieved on 10 June 2011 5. http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_715_2004-12-15.html. Retrieved on 10 June 2011 6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Empire#Rivalry_with_Great_Britain_and_France_.2 81652.E2.80.931795.29. Retrieved on 10 June 2011 7. http://www.destination-asia.com/history/. Retrieved on 10 June 2011 8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore. Retrieved on 10 June 2011 9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperialism_in_Asia#Qing_territorial_expansion. Retrieved on 10 June 2011